追寻福尔摩斯的脚步：我的伦敦之旅

“It is a hobby of mine to have an exact knowledge of London.”—Sherlock Holmes， The Red-Headed League1

London is the tour capital of the world. Walking tours can be found devoted to everything from Dickensian pubs to Royal Wedding sites， from Jack the Ripper to Harry Potter.2 This time， I went in search of the elusive Sherlock Holmes.

As I walked out of the poorly lit and somewhat humid tube station into the uncharacteristic London sunshine， it occurred to me that this Sherlock Holmes walking tour wasnt within walking distance of Baker Street.3 Not even close.

I searched my purse to find the brochure to see if I was in the right place when I heard， “Sherlock Holmes tour. Follow in the Footsteps of Sherlock Holmes.” Curious， I signed up， and I was not to be disappointed. Here is a rundown4 of my favorite stops：

No.4 Charing Cross Station5 and the Charing Cross Hotel

Charing Cross station with its beautifully made Eleanor Cross serves as a hub for Sherlock and Watsons travels in and out of London in many of the stories.6 It is also the station Irene Adler leaves from in A Scandal in Bohemia.7 In The Adventure of the BrucePartington Plans， Holmes has a spy arrested right in front of the Charing Cross Hotel.

No. 3 The former home of The Strand Magazine

When A Scandal in Bohemia appeared in The Strand， after Arthur Conan Doyle had already published two Holmes novels—A Study in Scarlet and The Sign of the Four—elsewhere， the magazines circulation8 increased. As more Holmes stories were published， both Conan Doyles and The Strands readership and reputation grew rapidly. At one point， fans even lined up outside The Strands offices waiting for the next Holmes installment to be released.9

No. 2 The Lyceum Theater10 where Holmes and Watson go with Miss Morstan to meet the unknown letter writer， “at the third pillar from the left” in The Sign of the Four.

Sir Arthur Conan Doyles friend， Bram Stoker， later the creator of Dracula， worked at this theater as a manager.11 I imagined the creators of these two icons as they talked about their writing， and then learned that Peter Pans creator， J.M. Barrie also knew Conan Doyle and that they wrote an unsuccessful opera together.12 Peter Pan， Dracula and Sherlock Holmes…now that would make an interesting dinner party.

The Lyceum was also where Holmes made his stage debut. You can listen to the tour guide for London Walks， called Richard IV， talk about the only Sherlock Holmes play that Conan Doyle ever wrote， The Speckled Band.

No. 1 The final stop of the tour was the Sherlock Holmes pub on Northumberland Street near Charing Cross Station.

The pub served as the model for Sir Henry Baskervilles hotel in a production of The Hound of the Baskervilles.

This is where the tour officially ends， but the fun doesnt stop. Grab a pint of Sherlock Holmes Ale and head upstairs to visit the replica of Holmess sitting room， filled with artifacts donated by the Conan Doyle family.13 Youll also find the stuffed and mounted head of the Hound of Baskervilles himself.14

So what was missing from the tour？ 221B Baker Street， now the home of The Sherlock Holmes Museum.

As many avid15 Sherlock fans know， 221B Baker Street didnt exist in the Victorian era， Baker Street stopped at #85. Conan Doyle created the address especially for Holmes and Watson. Many years later when Baker Street was extended， the address came into existence， and thats where I was bound16 next.

A man dressed as a British policeman of the period greeted us at the door of the museum， took our tickets， and sent us up the seventeen wooden steps.

The first room is a replica of Sherlocks study including his deerstalker cap， violin and chemistry supplies. The bullet holes where Sherlock shot into the wall out of boredom are still there. You can pose for pictures in the chairs where Sherlock and Watson would have discussed their cases.

One flight up， you can see the respective bedrooms of Dr. Watson and Mrs. Hudson. Dr. Watsons room features his notes from The Hound of the Baskervilles， as well as handcuffs， revolvers and artifacts from their cases.

Best of all， anyone who sends a letter to Mr. Holmes at the proper address receives a reply. So if youd like Sherlock to help find your missing keys， write to him at 221B Baker Street， London， NW1 6XE. S

1. The Red-Headed League： 《红发会》，讲的是福尔摩斯揭穿一伙犯罪团体企图挖地洞盗银行的阴谋，并最终将他们逮捕归案的故事。其中，福尔摩斯对伦敦街区的精确了解帮助他更快地猜测到了歹徒们的意图。

2. Dickensian pubs： 模仿查尔斯·狄更斯作品中的小酒馆风格的小酒馆；Jack the Ripper： 开膛手杰克，是欧美历史上最恶名昭彰的杀手之一。1888年他在伦敦东区的白教堂一带以残忍的手法连续杀害了至少五名妓女，却始终未落入法网，在当时引起了英国社会的恐慌。

3. tube station： 〈英〉地铁。美式英语的说法是subway；uncharacteristic：不典型的。因为伦敦常常弥漫着潮湿的雾气，晴朗的天气实在难得，因此作者才诙谐地说伦敦阳光普照是不典型、不常有的天气。

4. rundown： （某个想法、情况等的）简要报告，扼要说明。

5. Charing Cross Station： 查令十字车站，是伦敦重要的交通枢纽。

6. Eleanor Cross： 埃莉诺十字架。英格兰王后埃莉诺在游玩时香殒威尔士，国王爱德华一世悲痛不已，他将王后的遗体运回伦敦的一路上，每经一个驿站他都竖立起一座十字架。岁月流逝，当年的12座十字架保留至今的只有三座。查令十字车站附近的埃莉诺十字架仅是一件仿制品；hub： 枢纽，中心。

7. Irene Adler： 艾琳·艾德勒；A Scandal in Bohemia： 《波希米亚丑闻》。艾琳·艾德勒是出现在《波希米亚丑闻》中虚构的小说人物，她是唯一一个曾经打败过福尔摩斯的女人。现代改编影视作品中对她和福尔摩斯之间的关系有各种不同的解读。

8. circulation： （报纸或杂志的）发行量，销售量。

9. at one point： 一度，（事情发展到某一）阶段；installment： （尤指刊登在报刊上的连载故事的）一期。

10. The Lyceum Theater： 伦敦学园剧场。

11. Bram Stoker： 布拉姆·斯托克；Dracula： 《德古拉》，是布拉姆·斯托克于1897年出版的以吸血鬼为题材的哥特式恐怖小说。作者一改吸血鬼传统的可怕形象，将其描绘成文質彬彬、聪明、极具魅力，能够控制受害人思想的绅士。这本小说的成功和流行使德古拉成为了吸血鬼的代名词。

12. J. M. Barrie： 詹姆斯·马修·巴利；Peter Pan： 《小飞侠彼得潘》，是巴利最为出名的剧作，讲的是一个会飞的，拒绝长大的顽皮男孩彼得潘在永无岛（Neverland）与温迪以及她的弟弟们所遭遇到的各种历险故事。福尔摩斯、德古拉和彼得潘都是英国文学中的经典文学形象。

13. pint： 品脱，容量单位，主要在英美两国使用。一品脱大致相当于568毫升；ale： 麦芽啤酒；replica： 仿制品，复制品。

14. stuffed： 填满（羽毛或其他材料）的；mounted：裱贴的。

15. avid： 热衷的，劲头十足的。

16. bound （ for） ： 前往某处。