Julie West and Jack the Ripper

Today started in a good way. Well, first, we're in London, so it's not like I can complain...and secondly, I met a super talented Illustrator whose work I've admired for years! Julie West, her hubs Rob, and her darlin' James were sweet enough to drive 2 hours down to London to hang out with us for the day.

They were so nice and fun, and to top it off, great hosts. They took us for a walking tour of the city's West End and then we all took a ride on the famous "London Eye."

Thx for being so rad, guys! Yeah!

www.juliewest.com
www.ArseyRob.Com

At 6 we had a date with the " Jack the Ripper Terror Tour" (yes, I know, we are shameless tourists) so we said a sad goodbye to our new pals and hightailed it into the gruesome night ahead.

Our tour began with a nice boat ride down the River Thames, where we learned many an eerie tale, including the origin of the word "whopper." Our tour guide (of terror!) told us that it derives from Wapping Street where they used to hang criminals, smugglers, and pirates in cages bolted to the walls of the Thames. As the Thames would rise, the criminals would drown. Their bodies were left there for days or weeks (as a warning to other trouble makers) and would swell up and bloat. The locals nicknamed the bodies "Wappers." et...viola! But, don't take my word for this one, it could be a "whopper" itself.

Next up was a drive to the Old Bailey - the site of numerous public hangings, the Royal London Hospital where the Elephant Man lived, and the Wallace Plaque where Braveheart was tortured. We heard stories of gangland warfare, butcherous barbers, train robbers, and other creepy tales from the very bloody history of London. Very interesting stuff for the morose, like moi.

Then our guide took us for a jaunty into London's East End, Jack the Ripper territory. The walk was seriously fun and I learned quite a bit about the case & history of London. Good times. A highlight was, after the tour was over, Robbie and I went back to the Ten Bells pub for a night cap.

The Ten Bells pub is over a hundred years old and is the actually bar that most all of Jack's victims took their last drink before meeting their horrific ends. Some theorize that this is the place that ol' Jackie met or followed the women home from. Supposedly, the pub looks virtually as it did in 1888 and I believe it.