Homeless Tour Guides Offer New Peek at London

Visitors to London can get an earthier view of the city courtesy of homeless tour guides. Der Spiegel tags along as one woman ticks off facts on familiar sites such as the London Bridge, along with tidbits not to be found on more official tours: "This is where I used to sleep sometimes," she says of a corner in the London Borough Market. "In the morning, the market traders would make me a cup of tea."

And those waves in the concrete nearby? "They put them up to stop us sleeping there," she explains. The project is the brainchild of a nonprofit group that works with the homeless called the Sock Mob.The idea is to spread awareness of London's homeless problem and to help people on the streets make a little money—they get to keep most of the $15 tour fee. The group won an award for sustainable tourism last year, notes the German newspaper. (More London stories.)