I really didn’t want to have to make this post, but it’s gotten too silly now. My last post was over a month ago and I’ve all but disappeared since. This post is just a quick one to let you know what’s happening and to reassure you that A Morbid Tourist isn’t dead, just sleeping. Like Cthulhu.
The Living Churchyard at Bridlington Priory
The current churchyard at the Priory is a nice idea. To survey wildlife and conserve the area, the Diocese of York teamed up with the Yorkshire Wildlife Trust to create a ‘living churchyard’. Essentially, they let the local grasses and wildflowers grow all over the place. In turn, this encourages flora and fauna to stay in the habitat. The local plants benefit important pollinators like bats and bees, as well as enticing birds and insects of all kinds to hang out there.
In addition, they’ve made various hides for local critters including a stone pile, wood pile, and compost heap.
Imagining all the little hedgehoggies nestling in the wood makes me so happy!
St. Bride’s Church, London: The Ripper, The Fires, and the Wedding Cake
From this same spot at the rear of the nave, you can see many of the hallmarks of Wren’s original designs. For example: the symmetry and clean lines, the bold black-and-white marbled floor, and the emphasis on natural light are all very Wren-esque features. There are delicate gilded patterns on the ceilings and columns, and the rounded windows give the whole place a very soft, inviting look.
I was momentarily frozen in place by how neat and well-kept St. Bride’s looks. It’s a beautiful church, with a calm aura that feels deeply spiritual (even to me, an agnostic with no religious affiliation).
9 Golden Rules of a Morbid Tourist
When you’re a morbid tourist, all of the usual travel rules apply, of course. However, I think there’s a couple more to add, specifically for the more ghoulish explorers. In this post, I want to outline the rules of morbid/dark tourism. Following these means that you can respect people and places fully, travel smartly without getting into trouble, and feel more encouraged to do prior research into the places and cultures you explore. I promise I’m not particularly a stickler for rules and the last thing I want is to be a drag, but it’s super important to have your ground rules for morbid tourism!
The Haunted Vending Machine Corner
And then there were the packages. These are the main draw for people in the know who visit the haunted vending machine corner. A lot of the vending machine space is taken up by boxes of varying sizes, wrapped in paper with typed writing on them. Some were wrapped in newspaper with an intriguing folded note taped to them.
The Viktor Wynd Museum of Curiosities, Fine Art & UnNatural History
Shuffling into one of the benches at the table, I said hello to the skeleton and notified them that I planned to sit and drink for a while. It was quite pleasant, just perching there with a glassful of absinthe, surrounded by the weird and wonderful collection. Across the table from me sat an enormous lioness, in a regal posture with glaring, wild eyes. She was taxidermy, not live (which would’ve been infinitely better, of course), but she was stunning.
Lost Boys Pizza: The Camden Pizzeria For Vampires
All the pizzas at Lost Boys/Souls are made with their signature black dough. Some even have pesto pentagrams drawn on them, for all you Wiccans and Satanists out there. I personally would call the dough ‘tombstone grey’ in colour, but it’s so cool-looking! Definitely matches the gothic vibes of the place.