Seeing London from the 72nd floor.

View from the Shard

I had been looking forward to visiting the View from the Shard since receiving a gift certificate from my daughter Alix for Christmas. My last visit to London two years ago the Shard was almost finished already dominating the skyline on the south side of the Thames. 

This time I was fortunate to have three weeks to choose the ideal day to go up and hope for the best viewing conditions. The first week the sky was steely grey. Dust storms off the Sahara Desert were blown across Europe to combine with industrial pollution to dramatically reduce visibility. The Government was issuing health warnings. As the winds turned and the sky cleared the next challenge was to choose a day ahead of time to redeem the gift certificate. Thankfully the sky remained blue on the day of my visit. 

Houses of Parliament

Buckingham Palace and the London Eye

The Tower of London

In the mean time I had the opportunity to walk around London; visited the Tate Modern, admired Big Ben, listened in awe to the choir sing Evensong in Westminster Cathedral, drank at a Gin Palace near the Old Bailey, voted at Australia House, walked along Southbank, ate a duck wrap and nibbled on tasting treats on offer at the Borough Market, and caught a train to St Albans to visit an old colleague going past Wembley Stadium and so much more. London has so much to offer.  Looking down from the 72nd floor of the Shard all these pieces of a giant jigsaw puzzle came together as I could trace my wonderings from above.

Borough Market below the train line under the shadow of the Shard

The sky was indeed clear. All the great monuments and sights could be seen including many I had visited on past visits to this great city; the Tower of London, Greenwich Village, St Paul's Cathedral, Tower Bridge, Buckingham Palace and Hyde Park. The meandering Thames demonstrated that it is an essential transport hub as water busses, tour boats, and barges carrying containers moved along its waterways looking like children's bath toys from above. 

The Millennium Bridge

The view was spectacular. Looking down on the City of London and its surrounds I am reminded that after three visits I still have many more places I wish to see down there.

Floor 69

The Olympic Stadium and Orbit Tower

Battersea Power Station

The Gherkin

Greenwich

St Paul's Cathedral

Thames Barrier

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As a final note I was surprised to see new buildings that have developed in the past two years. 30 more have been approved. The "Walkie Talkie"concave shaped building in the middle of this picture has needed to have its windows changed as it melted cars when the sun's rays were focused during summers heat. Do have a look at this article for an architectural laugh.