Gadding about...

To London, again, for lunch with my younger sister.  We emerged this time at Monument, right by the actual monument to the Great Fire of London, which began not far from this spot.

Note the human scale of this giant structure, once one of the tallest constructions in the City.  But not now.

Our destination was the "Walkie Talkie building", aka 20 Fenchurch Street, or Sky Garden Tower, a building so tall that it is impossible to photograph close to.  You can in fact book tickets for free for the viewing platform, but security is airport style as you enter.  Then you are whisked upwards in a superfast lift.

 This is the Monument seen from the 35th floor.

See that column topped with a golden globe midway along the bottom edge of the picture?

Canary Wharf in the distance.

The Tower of London closer to hand.

The Shard, across the river

An aerial view of this curious roof-top garden, laid out like a formal knot garden.

And this is why it is called the Sky Garden - banks of planting on the slopes between the two floors.

We were booked in for a meal at the Darwin Brasserie on the 36th floor.  All I can say is, don't try this if you suffer from vertigo.  The actual restaurant seems to hang over the view in a most implausible fashion.

So, what does one eat in a place like this?  This is sea bream on a bed of borlotti beans.

And followed by a chocolate tart.

It was lovely food in hearty portions.

Once back at ground level, we walked back to Liverpool Street passing a number of rare survivors on our way.

Needless to say, I prefer the human scale of the ancient buildings.  This is St Helen's, Bishopsgate, a parish church which survived the Great Fire and the Blitz but was seriously damaged by IRA bombs.

It is full of memorials of ancient date - these on the wall

And several couples in effigy - here a pair of dogs at the wife's feet.  

As usual, we were more than happy to return to the rural peace of the Essex countryside after our trip to the city.