London is just one hour away by train, so why have I not visited for over five years? I could blame “Covid” – the lockdowns certainly stopped all sight-seeing suddenly and effectively. But the last lockdown was ages ago. I could blame “getting older”.But there are lifts everywhere so I don’t need to worry about ‘taking the stairs’. Sometimes there just is no particular reason: time goes by and life moves on. Last week I decided to ignore the anxieties that keep popping into my mind and take the train to Fenchurch Street. I would explore the Sky Garden with two of my friends.
It was lunch time when we reached Fenchurch Street. The City was heaving with Office Workers rushing out to grab a bite to eat. There is such a vibrancy in a capital city – I use to feel it when I visited New York and I could feel it then. The Sky Garden is on the 35th Floor of the Walkie Talkie Building and although it is free, it is advisable to book tickets. The lift was silent and rapid and we emerged to be surrounded by greenery as we made our way to the windows to survey the City. Building after building lay before us all the way to the horizon, laid out on each side of the River Thames. My friend D. Spotted the Monument statue nestled snugly between office blocks. “Look!” he exclaimed. “I climbed the 311 Monument steps when I was a boy. It cost sixpence. We thought that we were on top of the World.” In the sixty or so years since then the cityscape has completely changed. At only 202 feet high, the Monument has become swallowed by walls of concrete, brick and glass. Sir Christopher Wren and Dr Robert Hooke built the Monument to commemorate the Great Fire of London back in the seventeenth century. I wonder what they would think if they saw London today?
After taking in the views from all four sides of the building we ventured out onto the terrace. There we were fascinated by the window cleaning crew who were suspended right outside. They each must have such a strong head for heights!
We decided not to eat at the Sky Garden, but to walk down Fenchurch Street to number 120 and checkout the roof garden there. After watching the moving images projected onto the ceiling of the vast atrium, we took the lift to the top, fourteen floors up. The lush greenery here included flowering plants and the garden was more open to the sky. From here we were still viewing the tops of London’s buildings but from lower down. By now we were peckish so we returned to street level and found a Prêt à Manger.
I had a really enjoyable day. Not only did I catch up with two of my friends, but all it cost was £10 for the C-2-C rover ticket plus lunch. And I easily managed boarding and disembarking from the train despite my misgivings beforehand.

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