Good Sherlock Hunting by Kristen Mertz

Two years ago, at one of our meetings, Elaine told the group about a Sherlock conference that was being held in Switzerland and it is only $700 but the airfare it over $3000, there no way she could go. I said, no, no, no fly to London, visit there, take the train to Switzerland, make it a big trip. Rob said, “Of course Kristen would make it a whole thing.” Yes, that is exactly what I did. I made last year a WHOLE BIG THING.

On May 28th, I flew in to London and a friend of mine kindly took me around, navigating the whole London underground. I quite literally would have been lost without her. She planned everything for us and when she asked, “Is there anything you absolutely want to do?” I swiftly answered, “I have to see the Sherlock Museum and the Sherlock statue.” Everyone warned me not to expect a traditional Sherlock experience with the museum. They were right, but all my expectations of that statue were spot on, and the sun was shining on London that afternoon.

After running around London and Eastbourne for a few days, I flew to Switzerland for the Reichenbach Irregulars conference. I saw several Sherlockians on the bus ride up to the mountains in Leukerbad and was getting pretty excited. My first European conference! What was it going to be like. I quickly dumped my bags in my room and thought, where can I find some Sherlockians before the opening of the conference, so of course I headed for the bar.  Good deduction right? Of course, people were there and I got to meet a few people before the start.

I won’t go into all the details of the conference, but I will tell you if you ever get the chance to attend a European conference, just do it. It was wonderful. There were the presentations, a violin performance, wonderful food, a trip up to the Gemmi Pass and the hot springs! Of course, the best part was all the lovely company and chats with Sherlockians from around the world. We really do have the best people in our little Sherlock world.

I was going to go to Geneva after the conference, but was convinced by several that I absolutely had to visit Meiringen. I am so glad that I took their advice because the city was beautiful. I got to meet MORE wonderful Sherlockians and even hiked the Reichenbach falls. Of course, I had to visit the Sherlock Museum there as well and see yet another wonderful status of the master.  It apparently did not occur to me that perhaps I should have taken a selfie here sadly. Oh well, I guess I will have to go back!

July rolls around, I go to Tokyo. Now at this point, I remembered a conversation that I had at the Gemmi Pass with some members of the Japan Sherlock Holmes Club. We had a chat about me visiting my son in Japan in July that year as he was going to school for a semester there.  They asked what I was looking forward to and I of course said the food, the anime and all the things. They also told me there was a Sherlock status in Japan. I said, “I need to go see that.” Akane told me it was in Oiwake, pretty far from Yokohama where I would be staying, but that put the idea in my head. I mean, they have bullet trains right? I can get there.

There is a Tuesday that I have nothing planned, so I figure what the heck. I’m going to do it, I’m an going to find that statue. It’s only a few trains and a half hour walk. Of course, I am nervous, I kind of procrastinated and left the hotel a little late. I mean, I’m going by myself and my Japanese is limited to saying good morning and thank you and apologizing. I gathered up my courage and made my way to Tokyo station to buy my shinkansen ticket and then was on my way. (Side note, those bullet trains are so comfortable and quiet, you have no idea you are going 200 mph.) Another very cute local train ride later, I pull up my Google maps and start walking. It says a 30-minute walk, easy peasy, right? Not so, it was more of a 45-minute hike down a questionable road, through a rice farm by a volcano and through a residential area. When I was just about to give up hope, what do you know the crossroads and after I crossed that road, there were signs and one was a little Sherlock. I found it! 

Three Sherlock status in one year! What an accomplishment, but the last two pictures I took didn’t have me in them so do I have proof? Drats, I will have to redo those pictures at some point because Brad Keefauver has said that I should try to set a World Record for the most Sherlock status visited. Then Paul Thomas Miller asked me, wait, does this include plaques and memorials as well? Ah, dear readers, I do not know what I signed myself up for here. I shall have to think on it. Feel free to leave your advice in the comments. In the meantime, I will be looking for more statues and possibly plaques and/or busts to visit.