family's » London, United Kingdom

quote:

There really was a Madame Tussaud, a collector of wax figures in 1770s France who started her career modeling the heads of guillotine victims during the French Revolution. She brought her collection of wax models to Baker Street in 1885, and visitors have been queuing around the block to see them in the grisly Chamber of Horrors ever since. Nowadays, Madame Tussauds is more about glamour than gore. The life-size models of the famous and infamous change regularly to reflect current celebrity trends, and others are updated as their real counterparts age. The Queen, for example, is on her 22nd figure, and Robbie Williams’ figure has been replaced because ardent fans wore out the last one! Tussauds have a refreshingly unstuffy attitude, where visitors can be photographed cuddling up to celebrities or even having a “personal audience” with the Royal family. You can have a dinner date with George Clooney and he’ll either propose or present you with the bill depending on your responses. Bollywood fans can dance along with a scene from the film Bride & Prejudice, or learn dance moves from Beyonce and Kylie. It’s highly commercialized, slickly done and highly camp in presentation, but it’s the easiest way to rub shoulders with the rich and famous without taking on their minders. However, such proximity doesn’t come cheap; save money and go for the last hour, when prices fall. Book your entry ticket on line to avoid the nasty queues along the traffic fume-filled main road outside.

Save | Email to Friend | Comment