Nelson - clothing art, cars and a cathedral

We only passed through Nelson on the way, so we stayed here for 2 days. Since there was no campground near the city, we took a double room in a backpacker. It was called 'The Bug', and everything was decorated with VW Beetle stuff (and Bully)...bedding, room names (we had Love-Bug, how cute) and all sorts of stuff and kitsch. There was also a real Beetle in frog green in front of the door, though in a somewhat dilapidated condition. That brought back memories, I also had a green one. Anyway, it was a very nice and pleasant place, where some German work travelers also felt at home, as some of them worked there.

However, Nelson itself was not really our taste. The city center looked like many cities here, with mostly functional buildings. It was quite nice opposite the stairs to the cathedral, there were some restaurants and you could sit outside. The cathedral in Art Deco style...well, let's just say it's the pride of the city.

But the WoW World of Wearable Art & Classic Cars Museum was very impressive. Actually, it's 2 museums, but there's only one ticket for both parts. One part is an automobile museum with a remarkable collection of cars from different eras, not only in terms of design, but also in terms of size and global production. The collection includes not only the usual classics, but also many special cars that were technically or design-wise something special. There is a Messerschmitt Kabinenroller, a DeLorean, Ferraris, a few Ducati motorcycles, a modern Maybach, several Minis, and even a first-generation Smart. For me, as a devoted fan of cars of the white-blue brand, there was also a lot to see. So, a rare BMW 328, an Isetta, and a 2002 could be admired. There was also the V12 engine from the 750i to marvel at, the first 12-cylinder engine from German post-war production, a great example of the engineering art of the Bavarian Motor Works.

The cars are in 2 halls. In a newer one, the exhibits are beautifully presented and illuminated, while in the brightly lit older hall it looks like in a used car hall of a car dealership. Here, everything is somehow mixed up, which is sometimes funny, like the bright red Rolls next to a Ferrari or the DeLorean next to a Morris compact car.

But the other part of the museum, the Gallery of Wearable Art, is really funny. Here you can admire dresses that are actually works of art made from a variety of materials. The extremely ornate 'garments' are sometimes made of ordinary fabric, but also of wood or plastic. While the dresses are worn by ordinary mannequins here, their original purpose was a competition for unusual clothing, which has been held annually for many years now. The award winners are then exhibited here. I found this exhibition fascinating, although taste might be a matter of debate, but that's always the case with art. And actually, I only came here because of the cars, but I have to admit that the dress exhibition was great. And the combination of both is somehow quirky, in terms of classical gender roles, you might think there are cars for men and dresses for women. But such a simple reduction doesn't really do justice to this museum. Both parts are worth seeing for everyone!