It was a dark a stormy night and a fog was rolling in as a rag tag group silently stalked through London town to seek out murder.....

Actually, as far as January goes, the weather was pretty nice, and the ragtag group was far from silent, but indeed we were seeking murder. Led by our guide Philip (with one L and never Phil), we walked the footsteps of the notorious Jack the Ripper.

Fun fact! The name Jack the Ripper was actually given to the ripper when a letter was written to a newspaper which was signed “Jack the Ripper.” The letter was later proven to be a fake, written by journalists for the newspaper who wanted a good story. It worked!

In 1888, a string of six murders were committed by an unknown individual. Each murder occured at night, and the victims were all local sex workers whose throats had been cut and their bodies mutilated. Despite an extensive police investigation, no one was convicted, and the case remains unsolved.

Despite such a grisly subject, our trip was delightful. Unlike then, modern London is a beautiful city to explore at night with friends, and Philip kept us entertained with his quick wit and dramatic style. He joked with us, but also showed how knowledgeable he was about the subject (he has actually written two books on the unsolved murders). His introduction to the tour was particularly exciting as he ran around rattling fences and running his nails against wet street signs to set the mood. He also spooked Morgan by saying, “She died right... THERE,” and pointed directly at her. It was a good night.

We stopped at the murder sites as well as other notable locations in the story. Although the city has changed drastically since then, Philip was able to bring us to the exact geographic locations and show us pictures of what they would have looked like at the time.

It was interesting to see how a city we've grown to love the past month has changed and developed over the years, and after all, who doesn't love a creepy story.....