Eight Days In London

The Sherlock Holmes Museum

It was really cold when we got out of Madame Tussuad’s seeing that the sun was going down and small amount of snowflakes began to fall.  It was rush hour traffic in London now as Marylebone Road and Baker Street were filled with cars heading home.  It felt like it took forever for the pedestrian crosswalk signs to change as the wind blew chillingly up against you.  I had my hands in my leather jacket pockets keeping my body close to stay warmly as possible. 

Abbey stayed close to me having her hand underneath my arm and we all stood there waiting for the sign to change so we could cross the street to get to Baker Street.  Both Ronny and Isabell had two layers of coats on and soon we crossed the street to get on Baker Street. 

While on the way I saw an ATM machine “hold on I need to get some cash for the admission ticket” I said remembering I gave my money for the Italian guy back at Madame Tussuad’s.  I took out fifty pounds just in case I’d find something at the Holmes Museum I liked or what my mom would like knowing that she’s a fan of Sherlock Holmes.

After I withdrew some money Isabell went to use the ATM to get some cash.  The cold air was getting to me and it felt like it was colder than the city of Cleveland.  “Alright, let’s find the Sherlock Holmes Museum we only have an hour left” said Isabell.  “It’s just this way” said Abbey knowing where to go.

We see the Sherlock Holmes statue soon after near the underground station.  We pass the statue crossing Baker Street to be on the left side of the street.  While walking up the street we walk by The Beatles Store.

Just a bit further we all see a guard that was dressed like a policeman of the Victorian Era standing guard at the entrance to 221b Baker Street.  “You’ll find tickets to visit inside the souvenir shop” said the guard knowing we were here to visit the Sherlock Holmes Museum.

We go inside the Souvenir shop as I kept looking around seeing what they had in the store. As we were walking to the admission ticket counter I saw the Dr. Watson hat, the Sherlock Holmes hat, his pipe, a few postcards, books, T-shirts, games, and videos on sale.  Ronny and Isabell paid for their tickets as I paid for Abbey’s and mine. 

I gave the lady twenty pounds as she gave me left over change from the twelve pounds I spent on two tickets.  “Just go back outside and show the guard your tickets” said the admission lady to us.  When we left the shop I hoped that we would still had time to come back to shop so I could look around more to see if there was anything I could get. 

We show the guard our tickets “right head up the stairs” he said allowing us through. Walking through there was another lady standing on a landing of the stairs handing each of us The Sherlock Holmes Museum brochure.  The landing the lady was on lead to another flight of stairs as we saw a wax figure of the Page Boy who was the young house servant and errand boy in 221b. 

We went through a doorway of the apartment seeing everything in the Victorian style. It was very small inside as there were other tourists inside looking around as well taking pictures of the famous home of the Detective Holmes and his companion Dr. Watson.  Everything that I have read in the Sherlock Holmes books kept true to how the apartment looked on how Dr. Watson would describe. 

If you’d look closely around the rooms each of them had bits of pieces from the books like the gun inside the book and various newspapers that told the news of the time period.  We made it to the parlor of 221b seeing on the table the black round hat of Dr. Watson, the beige detective cap that Holmes wore along with his pipe and magnifying glass. 

Some of the people inside wore the hats sitting in the chairs by the mantle taking pictures as we decided to do so.  Ronny went first taking a picture with the Dr. Watson hat holding the magnifying glass and a different picture with Holmes’s cap and pipe doing funny poses sitting down.  Isabell took the picture giggling to herself seeing the funny poses Ronny was doing as she went next with Ronny taking the picture.