Up the Shard and down to Borough Market

St Dunstan in East green space - on the left - you can just spy the tower

Railway intersections and mini trains racing back and forth

No 1 Poultry with Bloomberg HQ site with cranes

Last Friday was great fun!  I received as a gift a trip to enjoy the view from the Shard. I would never have paid to go, so this was a real treat.

Booked for 14.00 arrived early and was allowed through security, then had my photograph taken, which you can purchase on your way out if you like it, I did'nt bother.

The journey up the first part is under a minute and I just loved the LCD displays on the roof of the lift, many famous ceilings of royal palaces and churches. It was soft and speedy with only a minimal of ear popping. Staff courteous and helpful. Then guided in to the second lift to take us up to the viewing platforms, again kaliedescopic LCD action of leaves and clouds. Really loved that.

Barbican Towers : Cromwell, Lauderdale & Shakespeare

I had chosen a lovely sunny day with only a little cloud, I entered the first viewing area hearing people muttering landmarks and kids shouting that they could not see them. All in all a bit hectic, but it is the start of the school holidays and most people and kids were happy to make a place for you against the glass.

Whoosh and a whoop of delight, a window cleaner abseiled passed us so fast we were'nt sure what we had seen!  All looked down in amazement, I'm sure he is hired just to do that all day, but it is thrilling and wondered if I could get a piggy back to the bar round the other side?

Had a picture taken with St Paul's in the background. Also managed to spot the green oasis of St Dunstan in the East behind Billingsgate. You really can see how curvy the River Thames is from this height, surprisingly so, even if we do know the outline from logos and such. There were a lot of clever folk up there that day who knew boroughs and buildings beyond, below and all points of the compass. I stuck with the City highlights and the London Eye.  Enjoyed watching the trains coming and going from Cannon Street and moving like little bright worms along the tracks.



Did not stay long, but had hoped you could access a bar or restaurant, but no, you have go all the way down again. Then you have to go round and down to station level to get to the entrance, lost the will and decided to go and check out Borough Market instead.

You meet the aromas before you even get there, all that roasting and cooking going on. Would have loved a Bratwurst with Sauerkraut but the only took cash, I'm a bit like royalty now, don't carry (have) cash!  Explored the ready meals stalls and this reminded me again of this is how people have eaten for thousands of years. Admired the mussels being shucked, gazed in awe at the fish display and just loved the artistic layout of the vegetables. Tasted cheese from France, then on to mozarella and parma ham, and salami, tiny scraps of deliciousness.

Ended up having a large spritzer and salted almonds at a restaurant I cannot remember the name of but did make a note of several other eateries that I want to visit very soon, especially one serving fish and chips, plus an oyster bar.