Up on the O2 and a day in Greenwich

Now let me start this entry with a paean to the O2. Much derided when the Millennium Dome, it has been converted into a great private enterprise. Its still a bit of a pig to get to, and as a 22,000 capacity music venue it is not exactly intimate, but as a piece of architecture it is really rather striking. It pays to wander around. And the area is now filling up with shops and flats and the like. So on a nice day it is all rather photogenic. Especially if you like big bold geometric shapes and interesting textures and patterns.

  

But today my aim wasn't just to do some random pottering. I had managed to persuade a friend to allow me to take her and her youngest son out for a day. And my particular angle was to climb the Dome. You see, the O2 owners have found lots of ways to sweat their assets as its known in the trade. This includes not only packing the interior with restaurants to surround the music venue, but also the outside. they have built a canvas walkway right over the dome so you can climb the outside and get the views of London.

Now I really didn't feel I could justify doing this on my own. But the availability of a 13 year-old suddenly gave me an excuse. his mum not being great with heights, we piled into the copious amount of gear they give you (safety first of course!) and duly trekked up the sides. It is actually a very easy climb. Only the beginning and end are at all steep. You get taken up in little parties, ad it is all made to feel a little like mountaineering (the reception kiosk being "Base Camp"). Nevertheless, I think his mum was rather relieved not to have to undertake it.

 

Once you make it the top there is a circular viewing platform on which you get 10 minutes to admire the view and take photos. Like this.

And I think young Tom enjoyed the experience too. We certainly had the perfect day for it weather-wise. Unfortunately, his camera batteries were flat, but being the ever resourceful youth, just had to revert to camera-phone. We really do just take for granted the number of small devices we have available now.

 Having completed the climb and with a little time to kill before lunch we did, after a little bit of persuading on Tom and my part of a somewhat reluctant Tamsin, do the cable car trip across the Thames. Unlike Tamsin's previous experience with cable-cars, these are ultra-secure. You don't feel exposed to the elements. Although not sure if Tom's musings as to whether the carriages would float were helpful!

There is, frankly, not much on the other side apart from the eco-museum, the Crystal hosed in this curious building. It is a rather depressing place, the general theme of which seemed roughly that we will all perish on a degraded planet. I reassured Tom it will all be ok as his generation will sort it all out for us. He seemed to have less confidence in his peers than I do. Which is worrying.

 

On returning to the O2 we settled down to a massive Chinese buffet lunch (there are so many restaurants to choose from it is mad. And at a lunchtime they have hardly any customers so we almost had the cavernous place to ourselves. Any gig night however there are queues outside them all.

Then we headed into Greenwich Naval College, one of the underestimated tourist sights of London. Even on a glorious sunny day in the summer holidays, while not empty it was far from overrun with tourists.

Highlights are the Painted Hall

 and the Chapel. Clock the ceiling

Outside on a glorious day we just meandered around, taking in the Cutty Sark

 and climbed up to the Observatory for the views. Which are stunning, especially on a day like this. The contrast of the old Naval College and Queens House (which we didn't have time for) with the new developments of Canary Wharf, works very well. Well I think so.

 We finished off with a stroll in the park (allowing me to take some arty photos of pebbles in a fountain)

and then a little break to chat in front of the Thames before heading off for dinner at a Tapas bar. Overall, a lovely day. And the nice part is that we seemed to be able to chat all day without the conversation drying up. All credit to a very lively bright 13 year-old! And I think he managed the whole day without the need to resort to i-phone or whatever. An achievement in this day and age.