A unique audio guide

One of the common sights while visiting museums or castles is, most of the visitors walking around with audio guides glued held on to their ears (which looks like as if everyone one is talking on cellphone). Put the strap around your neck, hold the audio guide to your ear and start exploring – that’s the routine while visiting these places. After a while I started carrying my ear phone, when I figured out that one can plug them in the jacks (if available) and keep the hands free. On the last day of my one-week stay in London I visited the Florence Nightingale museum. When the person at the museum asked whether I need an audio guide, I replied affirmatively and started fishing out for my ear phones. Before I could reach the ear phones, a stethoscope was handed over to me and the lady started explaining how to use the audio guide. I was sort of puzzled to look at the stethoscope, which was actually the audio guide of the museum. What a fitting way to salute the ‘Lady with the lamp’. Using a stethoscope as an audio guide was fun. There was no need to search for the number near an exhibit and punching in the guide. Just put on the stethoscope, place the diaphragm on the circle in the wall next to an exhibit and listen to the commentary.

The Florence Nightingale museum, though a small one, tells the story of her life, her contribution to the nursing profession and about her work during the Crimean War in Victorian England as well as celebrating the nursing profession. Some of the exhibits in the museum include Florence Nightingale’s medicine chest which she took to the Crimean War, her lamp which got her the name “The Lady with the Lamp” and a rare photograph of Florence. The museum is very close to the London Eye and one can reach this place by walk from either Westminster or Waterloo tube station.