inspiration – One Chance to See the World

Sky Garden, best free views in London

Sky Garden sits atop 20 Fenchurch Street. Known locally as the ‘Walkie Talkie’, it boasts two decks of lush plant life, bars, restaurants and stunning 360-degree views of London. Best of all, Sky Garden London is completely free.

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The Building

This isn’t an ordinary skyscraper. The building gets wider as it rises, the highest floors literally hang over the streets below it. Like a wave ready to crash it looms over you in intimidating fashion, yet draws your attention completely.

From here you can see the shape changing as it reaches it’s peak, a height of 525ft. A quick show of the ticket and a scan of my bag and I am on the 35th floor in just a few minutes.

A short walk from London Bridge and Bank/Monument Underground, it is easily accessible on foot and well connected by train and bus routes. Tickets are free on their website (linked below) and easier to book two to three weeks in advance. Last minute bookings can be made but I would avoid if at all possible. Tickets go fast and it is hardly surprising.

The Views

The 360-degree views of the city make Sky Garden one of the best views in London.

Classic landmarks such as St Paul’s Cathedral, Tower Bridge and The Shard draw your attention immediately, and signs on the windows help to spot the sights further away. London’s Olympic Stadium can be seen, as can the Wembley Stadium arch on a clear day.

Looking down to Tower of London — Looking down to the Tower of London… notice the vans inside the walls that are only visible from this height!

When should you visit?

I visited twice on two very different days in the city. First with Ju, my Brazilian friend living in London. The second time was during the recent heatwave with clear blue skies. Interesting to note that despite the clouds, the overcast day helped make many buildings more visible. The bright sunshine was beautiful but created a haze. When booking, you really don’t need to wait for a less cloudy day. Just avoid fog!

In summer the sun sets outside of the free ticket hours, so it is recommended to book one of the bars or restaurants to catch this. Also as tickets are required for the free trip, you don’t need to worry about it being overly packed during your visit.

It is important to note that the areas are ventilated, so even whilst indoors wear clothes appropriate for the outside temperatures.

My friend looking out to Canary Wharf — Looking out to Canary Wharf- facing east

Steps run up the east and west of the building, taking you even higher. It is possible to walk up clockwise or anti clockwise and then back down to the 35th floor.

Tower Bridge taken from the steps up — Tower Bridge- one of the most photographed landmarks up here

The Garden

The plant life really stands out in the middle of London’s concrete jungle. A lush oasis that gives you a sense of calm and tranquility, with seating areas hidden within the greenery. Signposts prevent us from getting lost, although getting lost is what this kind of escape is all about surely?

Couple taking selfie outside bar — Visitors looking out from the upper deck

Sky Garden outside deck

Two revolving doors allow access to the outdoor section of the building, the Shard is the first thing to be seen and looks incredible from here. Squint and you will see the tiny double-decker buses crossing London Bridge, along with the commuters that look more like ants. The deck is secured with a giant glass barrier that you have to look through, but being outside feels great at such a height.

Tourists taking photos from outside deck — A scramble for cameras!

Looking south west, the London Eye is visible behind neighboring buildings, along with Big Ben and the Houses of Parliament, Tate Modern and Millennium (the Harry Potter) Bridge. Can you spot them all?

Bars and Restaurants

The easiest bar to find is the Sky Pod Bar, situated right in the heart of Sky Garden. With huge windows and an open plan, it is the perfect place to relax with a bottle of wine and watch the world go by. With your friends or your partner, on a date or even alone (like I did on this day!), it really is perfect for all occasions.

Prices seem to be slightly more than what is expected in London. A bottle of beer will cost £6, although it will hardly come as a shock in such a place. Full menus are available on their website, and the venues available are:

-Darwin Brasserie

-Sky Pod Bar

-Fenchurch Restaurant

-City Garden Bar

-Fenchurch Terrace

Although causal wear is accepted in Sky Garden, smart-casual is recommended if booking any of the above.

Pssst… if you head up on an evening from Wednesday to Saturday, a resident DJ plays live music as you wander the gardens and catch the sunset. From 7pm on weekdays and 9pm on weekends, what better way to end the day in London?!

Let me know if you have been, and add it to the list if not!

Sky Garden London- Official Site

Sky Garden venues and menus

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Early bird or night owl?

I have been following a lot of London photographers lately to get some inspiration. One thing I envy is just how empty the streets are in their photographs, they look abandoned!

Even in the height of lockdown, London’s streets were not totally empty, and getting up early seems to be the best way to get that abandoned vibe. The early bird catches the worm is very true in this case. The problem is I am not an early bird.

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But I am getting better. The earlier I wake the less busy tourists areas are, it really is rewarding and makes me excited to leave the house. And as I get older (cheese alert) I am appreciating everyday more and more, and realising how much time a sleep-in can waste. Too much.

Here are some shots not long before sunset at St Paul’s Cathedral. The ‘what‘ installation above is a part of a wider project around the city, with many other words dotted around nearby streets.

*Google’s what the actual full sentence is*

Thanks to Londonist for the answer, the full sentence reads ‘What are you going to meet if you turn this corner?‘

The Millennium Bridge perhaps?

Cute dogs on walkies?

The Shard perhaps, taken on a different, more cloudy day.

This street gave me a real Harry Potter vibe, and was a great way to see the Shard unobstructed from across the Thames. The new pictures I am uploading here and to Instagram are new ones I have taken in the past few weeks of lockdown, and edited using Lightroom. I will have at least one new shot a day for the next month or so, so plenty of London to see if you have five minutes spare to check them out!

But back to the question. Early bird or night owl? Have recent events changed your habits or have you stuck to your guns?

Let me know, and happy hump day!

Sam

Due to the Coronavirus outbreak I am somewhat limited as to what I can do in London, but I aim to post as much as I can during this time. I promise to have some great posts coming your way once this is all over as I continue to explore London.

Stay safe and happy blogging!

Sam

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Will you miss anything about lockdown?

From Instagram, 29th June 2020.

Covent Garden before the post-lockdown crowds.⁠

I am going to miss the emptier streets in a way, currently 2020 has seen me lose faith in humanity more and more with every month that passes. More reasons to hate each other and less willingness for conversation. So a lonely walk without human interaction is therapeutic.
⁠
But then again the lockdown has seen us online more than usual, and this is where trolls and their toxic thoughts reside more than anywhere. At least people are rarely as toxic in person as they are behind a keyboard. We need real life conversations again as talking behind a username is a recipe for disaster.⁠

—

I have enjoyed the lack of interaction on my walks at times, but then again realise face to face interaction is usually much more pleasant than it is online. So the jam packed tube rides that we all label as ‘unfriendly’ in London will be welcomed with open arms… if I had that much room to do so. The commutes crammed but silent sound like heaven right now.

At this current moment, silence is like gold.

I hope you are managing to avoid the negativity, and more importantly, avoid being sucked into to it. It is contagious and sticks to you like glue. And once in that negative headspace it is hard to make that shift towards happiness again.

Stay motivated, stay optimistic and we will get through this, whatever it is that you are personally fighting for.

Stay safe and happy blogging!

Sam

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Two amazing moments I experienced in London last week

It is easy to talk about how bad this year has been. So I thought I would take a moment to show you two pretty awesome experiences I have had in the past seven days.

On the 18th June, the Red Arrows flew alongside the Patrouille de France over Buckingham Palace. It marks 80 years since Charles de Gaulle made a famous speech to the people of France to fight Nazi occupation. They flew over Paris on the same day.

The weather couldn’t have improved at a better time. Earlier that day it was cloudy and raining, however nothing but blue skies to delight onlookers thereafter.

But not every spectacle in London is expected, some just happen right in front of us. Take this moment two days ago, as I was about to cross a road at Piccadilly Circus. I was taking photos and had my GoPro with me, and could tell something was happening with all the heads turning.

I got my GoPro out as a dozen or so Supercars rocked up to the traffic lights, and stayed for a whole ten minutes at the delight of passers by. I filmed the whole thing and uploaded to YouTube, and the footage can be seen below.

I have no idea what the police thought about them holding up traffic for ten minutes, but as present as police were that day (due to protests), the cars were able to stay without repercussion. In fact they only drove off after one driver decided they had been there long enough, whilst the crowds grew. I understand that there isn’t much social distancing happening here, but I was never packed in with a crowd and when I did lean over someone, I was well back with my GoPro extended out in front of me.

I just wanted to cross a road. I wasn’t expecting so many people to turn up around me, or for any of this at all!

So the world isn’t all bad, some interesting things are still happening around us if we keep looking for them.

I hope you have some of your own stories too, what fun things did you get up to over the weekend?

Let me know of them in the comments!

https://www.instagram.com/p/CBlyPbPMQDM/

Stay safe and happy blogging!

Sam

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Hogwarts is closed?!

I was on the Millennium Bridge the other day during sunset. It is a great place to walk, between St Paul’s and the Tate Modern, and to stop and think for a moment whilst overlooking the Thames. Lots of time to think however not enough energy to do so. That’s how I feel at this moment.

I am putting together a post regarding everything that’s happening right now, but admittedly I have been putting it off. I hope to have it up this week though. It isn’t that I don’t want to talk about it, more finding where to start. And I am mentally drained by this year as well. Typing feels like walking through thick mud at the minute but I am easing back into it.

So here is a short post about a recent wander. Something I have always enjoyed talking about and walking is really helping keep me sane right now. It is also very interesting to see how the city has changed and is evolving over time, now more lively than it has been for months.

…

Kings Cross is a short walk from me with a movie connection to the Millennium Bridge. Can you guess the connection?

That’s right, Harry Potter. Brownie Points if you can name the movies they both appear in!

During the lockdown the powers that be have decided to take down the Platform 9 3/4 attraction and replace it with a bench. Not much of a surprise, but I was intrigued to know what it would look like today. Would they have boxed it up or fenced it off??

Neither, just taken it off the wall completely.

For anyone unfamiliar, this is what it looks like normally. I am hoping it returns soon.

I would love to know how many train stations around the world have cool little features like this one. Airports such as Singapore Airport have made the waiting game cool, offering something new and exciting to look at whilst waiting for a flight. More train stations should do the same in my opinion!

(Click the arrow for more images)

https://www.instagram.com/p/CBiJtHKMCTo/

Have you seen the Platform 9 3/4 attraction in London Kings Cross? Do you think they will reinstall it?

Let me know what you think of it’s fate… and I hope you are all having a great week, whatever Hogwarts House you’re in 😉

Stay safe and happy blogging!

Sam

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Why you should visit this Korean house above a busy London road

Street art has made me more observant as a person. I have learned to keep my head up and look around. Even in the seemingly boring streets around the CBD, there is always an opportunity for discovery.

Wormwood Street is one of those streets. Above it a Korean house seemingly fell from the skies onto a concrete bridge, the work of Do Ho Suh, a Seoul- born installation artist.

Where to find it

Wormwood Street is within London’s CBD, the closest tube station being Liverpool Street. Moorgate, Bank and Aldgate surround it and are all within a 10 minute walk.

The art is easy to find once there, displayed directly above the main road and pavements beneath. I was lucky, stumbling upon it during my lockdown walks meaning a huge reduction in traffic. So much so in fact that I could actually walk down the road and right underneath it without disrupting traffic.

On victoria-miro.com, it states the following about the sculptor:

In exquisitely made works, Do Ho Suh explores contemporary arrangements of space and the unstable boundaries of its categorisation along lines of individuality and collectivity, physicality and immateriality, mobility and fixity. Influenced by his peripatetic existence – leaving his native South Korea to study and live in the United States, he has more recently moved between New York, Seoul and London – an enduring theme of the artist’s practice is the connection between the individual and the group across global cultures.

Like an oasis in the desert, the piece provides and escape out of highrise corporate London and into the streets of Korea. Not only does this stand out due to the architectural and cultural differences, it chooses to reside in an area almost inhabitable. Above a busy road, on a bridge, where the rent is probably unfathomable to most of us.

According to Londonist, this installation is part of Art Night and Sculpture in the City, something I have blogged about recently after making other small discoveries. I have another post on some nearby artwork for this project here.

I love this kind of thing, something so unexpected that stares you straight in the face after turning a corner. And a reminder to always keep your head up wherever you go, as every corner is an opportunity for a little escape from normality.

Thank you to Do Ho Suh for this one.

Credits:

Victoria-Miro- artist bio

Londonist

Stay home, stay safe and happy blogging!

Sam

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London quiz!: How many famous spots can be seen from the Millennium Bridge?

Hey everyone, happy Tuesday! With the lockdown easing a little I have been taking longer walks in London. The majority of the most popular sights are within an hours walk for me, and I have been taking turns walking around the areas whilst they are much quieter than normal. St Pauls, Covent Garden, Piccadilly Circus, Kings Cross, London Eye, Buckingham Palace… and with three cameras I am starting to build up a folder or two of new shots.

What I like about the GoPro is the burst function, allowing 15 shots to be taken in a couple seconds. This is good for capturing something fast moving, such as a backflip, and catching each sequence. I found it was also good for getting a 180 degree view of my surroundings, by hitting shoot and quickly rotating.

I look like a ballerina doing it, but thankfully there isn’t too many people around to see this.

I posted the shots to Instagram as the carousel format allows you to flick through as if you are there.

PS: Don’t look at the hashtags!! It gives the game away :p

https://www.instagram.com/p/CAXqCyUMpz1/

The only problem is the fisheye lens makes a smooth transition between shots pretty hard, unlike panoramic mode on most smart phones.

But it was able to take in each and every angle facing east, and all the sights that can be seen from the bridge.

Using the pictures, how many famous landmarks can you see? Clue: Big Ben and the London Eye are behind me, so aren’t hidden between the buildings 😉

Happy hunting!!

Stay home, stay safe and happy blogging!

Sam

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Caged in

How is everyone feeling? It is strange how this world is full of nations handling all of this so differently. Some still on lockdown, some more relaxed and without any more deaths… the UK seems to have handled this a lot worse than a lot of countries. I hope you are all keeping well, wherever you are reading this from.

Times like these make me realise how strange life is. The past few decades- which isn’t very long in the grand scheme of things I know- have been relatively comfortable for most of us. This really makes me take a stable life for granted. And how crazy it would feel to have a spanner thrown in the works like so many have witnessed in the past.

War, famine, plagues, volcanoes, tsunamis, meteor strikes, genocide, holocausts… there are so many ways the world and it’s people can f*ck us up. In my 30 years of existence, a virus has been the biggest threat so far. And a virus that isn’t anywhere near as devastating as it could be, even if we could have handled it better. Although many have lost their lives to it, we have still been very lucky that this isn’t as devastating as so many events have been throughout our recent history.

And with this, I keep reminding myself not to be annoyed that the UK is still on lockdown, despite our screw ups that have cost the lives of so many which is tragic. We are still so much better off than so many of our ancestors.

I feel caged right now, but at the same time so very fortunate.

Stay home, stay safe and happy blogging!

Sam

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Keeping a nation connected during lockdown: (Guest post by Grace Bloom)

Grace and Sam are a couple living in Essex, UK. They met in 2016 and have been blogging their journeys since. I was lucky enough to receive a guest post by them on what life is like as key workers keeping the country connected.

Grace also posted this to their blog, When Grace met Sam, and I have linked this beneath the post.

Due to the majority of bloggers not being self employed, certain information cannot be shared about companies and other aspects of life, but we do what we can.

I hope you enjoy their story.

Every morning at 7:30, we leave our cosy maisonette in Essex, experiencing fresh waves of anxiety as we face the day.

We never thought this would happen. The added responsibility of carrying the nation on our shoulders, the stress of ensuring we have enough gloves and wipes, constantly checking we’re not too close to someone.

Both of us are hands on engineers which means unfortunately, our work cannot be done from home. Therefore, we are Key Workers.

Although anxious, I’m proud to still be working and know that our engineers are invaluable right now. We provide the nation with internet, making sure children can access their school work at home, we keep phone lines up and running so people can contact 999 in an emergency. The company even call themselves ‘the fourth emergency service’ because we keep everyone connected. Due to the fact we have to still work, they’ve become really hot on the social distancing rule and have cancelled all buddying for new recruits, van sharing and have stressed that we’re only allowed to work with one other person (2m away!) at any time.

Sam is a plumber and has been told it’s emergency work only. His role makes him more at risk than I am because he works in customers homes. The precautions set by the company are to stay at a 2m distance, not to get a signature from the customer and to wear gloves when necessary. Sam’s expressed that he’s worried customers may lie when asked whether they’re showing symptoms, self isolating etc, so that they can still get their problem fixed. There’s been cases where this has happened to customer facing engineers within my company and the people guilty of this should be ashamed!

Of course, it’s not as lifestyle changing as working for the NHS (or as a carer). Some have moved out of their homes to isolate away from their loved ones so they can keep working. They also have much more exposure to the virus due to working with COVID-19 positive patients. We also need to be grateful for our delivery drivers, shop assistants and counsellors. I haven’t seen a lot of praise given to therapists to be honest. Mum being a counsellor herself, she has still been able to look after her clients by replacing face to face sessions with over the phone and Skype instead. Not only is she doing her bit by staying home, she is making herself available to support others.

My role as a Fibre Engineer means I work out in the field and very rarely have to step over a customer’s threshold. Fortunately, this makes it a little easier to maintain social distancing due to being out in the open, however I’m still experiencing the Joe public coming too close to ask questions about whether the job I’m doing will effect their internet. Lots of new rules have also come into force with regards to my job which I think will have an impact on work life after lockdown is lifted.

This past week my van has been in the garage, which means I’ve had to rely on the AA to recover the vehicle to and from Fleet (in Essex) with us not being allowed to vehicle share. Not only that, the AA mechanic had to drive the vehicle from the garage to his low-loader before dropping it off, therefore I have to leave it for 96 hours before I can touch it. Covid has made what were once simple tasks, much more complicated and stressful.

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The main issue here though is Sam’s role, which is very different from mine and gives us anxiety like you wouldn’t believe. The company he works for offers home warranty and repairs such as plumbing and drainage insurance. They’ve now introduced free plumbing and heating repairs for anyone who works in Care or for the NHS, as long as they’re emergencies.

I remember when Sam first told me about it after they introduced the idea. He seemed to think it was a great thing to do and he was even impressed with the company, but all I could think about was how big the risk already was and how much more it would increase.

“Hang on a minute,” I said. “NHS workers are at the front line of this pandemic and you’ll be going into their homes, breathing in their air and touching their bathrooms.” He just looked at me, the realisation washing over his face.

Now, don’t get me wrong. I think it’s amazing what the company are offering as the NHS deserve all the help they can get. Is it also because the company will receive admiration and respect to be seen helping out our health service, potentially scoring new customers at present for their good deed and then hopefully, the NHS staff will want to take out the insurance policies once lock down is lifted? This is great and all, but who’s thinking about the engineers? Who’s thinking about the elderly who make up around 80% of company’s customers, who could potentially be infected by an engineer that’s just come from an NHS claim?

The only PPE that’s available are gloves so Sam’s had to make-shift his own mask out of a snood. The big cogs in the machine are working safely from home while the worker bees are exposed to the elements. Please can someone tell me how that’s fair.

The amount of times Sam’s arrived home and expressed how many customers are not seeming to understand their part in all of this… I guess in their defence, we’re still adapting to this new ‘normal’ and it is human nature to forget and revert back to old learnt behaviour. However, if an engineer knocks on your door to fix the leak gushing out of your ceiling, please at least move well back from the door to let them in safely!

But still, we have to power through.

I hate the sickening anxiety I feel each work morning, mainly for Sam rather than myself. Before saying goodbye we tell each other to stay safe, to not do the work if it isn’t safe and to protect ourselves with regular risk assessments. Our work days are not the same as they used to be and for that, we come home mentally drained.

We try to remind each other daily that we have to remain calm and positive. That is what will get us through this.

On an upbeat note, there are some silver linings.

It’s safe to say that we are both proud to still be serving the nation and helping our communities. We have both said before that we would want someone to help our grandparents and vulnerable family members if they were in need.

The roads are also completely dead in the mornings, apart from the odd postie and bin lorry. This makes getting to site an absolute dream; no extra stress from having to wrestle with rush hour traffic.

We understand that we could have it a lot, lot worse. We are extremely lucky to still have routine and consistency which I for one need in life, as it helps me feel secure and balanced. I know a lot of people out there have either lost their jobs or are uncertain about whether they’ll have a job to go back to. Some are struggling to make ends meet and some are trapped inside their homes, experiencing abusive relationships without any respite. We are especially lucky that ourselves and our families are still OK and have their health. But of course like everyone, we don’t know whether this will change.

On our days off we are remaining busy by doing the things that make us happy. Knowing we’re not allowed out and about has just made more time for hobbies; books and writing my blog has kept me sane by allowing me to escape the awful things happening at the moment. Sam’s a keen lover of health and fitness so he’s keeping himself busy with exercise, as well as looking after his mental health. We also love to do yoga in the garden, binge Netflix and of course FaceTime with friends and family.

My heart goes out to everyone as this new way of life is not easy. We are sending lots of love and positive vibes your way.

Please stay home, stay safe, save lives.

**Thank you to Grace for providing the second insight for my ‘Life in Lockdown’ series, aiming to provide a glimpse into the lives of people around the world during this pandemic.**

All words are Grace’s own and for more great stories, photo’s and travel experiences please visit Grace and Sam’s blog, whengracemetsam.com!

Insta @graceebloom_

Twitter @whengracemetsam

Credits

Featured Photo by Krishna K. Maiti on Unsplash

Country road photo by Jack Bassingthwaighte on Unsplash

Blog photos provided by Grace on whengracemetsam.com

Thank you for your help!

Just a quick thank you to everyone that has been reading my blog posts recently. I love engaging with you all everyday and seeing how you have been doing, especially during this lockdown.

Also thank you to those that have followed me on Instagram, I can’t be taking too many photos whilst this pandemic spreads but I will do once we are able to explore again. It will be worth the click, I swear. I have also changed my profile photo over there to the one above, as I really like it and it seems many of you do too. It is a little brighter than the previous one as I am no longer in Edinburgh I felt I needed a change!

Regarding this post, I am still responding to some comments and will get in touch with some of you to see if a joint post will be possible. I have a couple of posts in progress and I am very excited to share them with you from fellow bloggers around the world. And as I said I hope to do more of this moving forward.

Please accept my apologies that some of my responses are a couple days late, but on work days it is very difficult unless I do this at work. I am literally out all day. Tomorrow is my last day of four though so I have four days off to catch up, get some new and exciting blog posts our there and maybe some more photos if I can find another scenic walk.

But thank you again for all your support on my blog, I really appreciate the love and spend so much of my free time here because of this. You have really helped me keep going all these years.

Stay safe, and I will speak to you all soon 🙂

Stay home, stay safe and happy blogging!

Sam

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Also, I would love to grow on Instagram, please give me a follow over there as I will have plenty of London shots coming your way. Any help would be amazing as photography is fast becoming a passion of mine. Click here for onechancetoseetheworld on Insta and thank you so much for your support. It means the world to me.