It is one of those times when work is taking over – it was the case the past week and will also be the case for the next. I knew it was coming (EU economic governance has a rather predictable calendar, so I usually know when I will be completely overwhelmed by macroeconomic imbalances or excessive deficits) and took a day off on Monday to go to London. It was just that one day, in and out, and to make it even more frivolous, I only did it to see one exhibition.

I’d been wanting to see I Am Ashurbanipal at the British Museum since it was announced last year. Assyria is not necessarily my favourite of the ancient Mesopotamian empires, but I’m not overly picky, I am moderately to severely obsessed with them all. It was under Ashurbanipal that the Assyrian Empire reached its peak (at least geographically) and his interest in books and learning endears him to me despite many practices I would not appreciate in a modern ruler. Let’s say you didn’t build an empire these days with your charm and rhetoric skills alone.

The exhibition was as good as I expected it to be, although if you are used to the mammoth architecture of Egypt or pretty Greek statues, the artefacts may seem a bit more modest – lots of reliefs and tablets and clay prisms with writing. Then again, if the tablets turn out to be the standard version of the Epic of Gilgamesh, well… I also enjoyed that the exhibition gave a snapshot of other powers of the Middle East that Ashurbanipal came into contact with (which mostly is an euphemism for ’brutally conquering’), from Elam to Urartu.

The only problem with I Am Ashurbanipal is that today is its last day, hence my rush to see it. So unless you are in London right now, there is little chance for you to see it, if you haven’t yet. However, I wanted to talk about it, as the British Museum also has a wonderful permanent collection of Assyrian and Ancient Mesopotamian stuff. Sometimes I feel that Sumer, Babylonia, Akkad and other Mesopotamian civilisations don’t get as much attention as they deserve. To me, it is a fascinating, wonderfully – and sometimes maddeningly – complex region. And I guess the place that invented writing was always going to hold a special place in my heart.

I took the morning train from Brussels to London and went straight to the Assyrians. This left me with a free afternoon and as I’m a proud Victoria & Albert patron, decided to go and see the recently opened Dior exhibition as well. I had seen it in Paris already and I think I have a slight preference for the Paris version, simply because there was more space. V&A rooms can be rather cramped, but other than that, they had done a stellar job, as always.

Although the title says Dior: The Designer of Dreams, it is not only about Christian Dior, but his fashion house from 1947 until today. For me personally, the John Galliano period is a special treat: despite his later disgrace, it is impossible not to admire the clothes. His Egypt collection is one of my favourites ever and there are two dresses from that collection on show. That said, pretty much everything on display is exquisite, from the early Bar jackets to Maria Grazia Chiuri’s delicate dresses. If you haven’t seen it yet, I do definitely recommend it.

While the Dior exhibition will remain open until July, the problem with this one is that tickets are sold out. There are some options for getting them (check the web site for details), but the only fail-safe way is to become a V&A member – this will give you free access, at all times, to all exhibitions. At 70 pounds I think it’s a decent deal if you live in the UK and tend to visit often (for 95 pounds, you can bring a friend, so that might be the most cost effective solution if you know someone else who’s interested). I did it because I really, really wanted to see the Frida Kahlo show last year and becoming a member was the only way I could.

I am lucky to live in a place where I have easy access to so many wonderful museums in London, Paris, Amsterdam… Brussels itself has some very good ones, too. What are your favourite museums? Anything specific you’ve seen recently and really enjoyed?