Sky Garden - London

Family Feel - 4/5

Girls Night - 3/5

Romance - 5/5

One of London's most famous skyscrapers, nicknamed the 'Walkie Talkie' (although, in my opinion, would be more appropriately labeled the 'Lump of Cheddar Cheese' considering it's perfect positioning next to the 'Cheesegrater') is host to the world's highest garden. This space is filled with jungle-like foliage, abstract modern interior and lavish restaurants, all with a 360 degree view of London's city landscape.

The Sky Garden has been on everyone's bucket list since its' grand opening in 2014, and you can enjoy free entry to the not-so-secret haven... just as long as you book in considerable advance! But is it worth the wait I hear you say?

I attended on a family occasion for my mum's birthday along with my dad and younger sister. We decided on an evening slot which meant we saw London at its' most sparkliest! From entrance to departure there is a real sense of prestige within the building, the tax-payers billions is very evident in the architecture and design. Standing outside the building, waiting in the poorly organised que, look up and you'll see the glass exterior curve outwards as if it's over-spilling in the most extraordinary way.

Please note that even if you do possess a ticket and have arrived five minutes before your designated time slot, as instructed, you will still have to wait in the lengthy line of people along with those that do not have tickets, and with those that have arrived too early for their slot; even if you are just following a group of people that have wondered straight on in. However, if you are noticed by the one lady managing the large crowd of people, you will indeed be sent to the back!

Once you are finally in you will be greeted by the same harsh bright white lighting and sterile surroundings of a hospital ward but after having shuffled through the packed isle, involving a self service ticket scanning barrier, which is too much for some, you will have a very short (thank god) interaction with the vacant of any form of charisma security staff followed by being stuffed into a lift (left one for the Sky Garden, which was a good guess, as there were no signs!).

After a short trip up to the top, you are welcomed by the first hospitality trained staff member you will have come into contact with, who will politely direct you to the Sky Garden with as genuine of a smile as one could possibly give after a god-knows how long a shift! Now, this is where those billions were spent.

We wondered in, straight up to the great expanse of glass, where it seemed every person to the left and the right along the metal bar (displaying it's best attempt to fend off all the human finger prints and forehead, nose and chin smudges - can you imagine having to polish all those windows?) were taking selfies in unison. The view was incredible! The great contrast between the night sky darkness and the shimmer of lights speckled across the City of London, the romance factor is definitely in the air of an evening!

We were then picked up by the circulation of people flowing in a somewhat lazy river-type fashion, which takes you up even higher into the trees and back down again. Exploring the hiding places, ducking under low hanging branches and massive tropical leaves. At the very top is the Fenchurch Terris Restaurant, of which is made completely of glass, and for a moment could give one the illusion you are dining in such finery until you realise, you're on the wrong side of the glass! On the way back down the steps we had a sneaky peak (while attempting to be as discrete as humanly possible) at what delicacies were being served inside, and were quite shocked to observe that there was considerably more plate than food! Which makes one ponder the thought, if being honest, how many people sitting in that restaurant would stop for a cheeky McDonald's Cheese Burger on the way home?

Following our decent back down to the lowest level, and feeling as though we had travelled into the Amazon, we were rather parched and in need of some light refreshment, which on reflection, was ironically very light on the stomach though very heavy on the purse. We ordered from the Sky Pod menu two mocktails, once cider and an apple juice, along with a cheese sharing platter for two (even though there were four of us, we just couldn't justify that). Once it arrived after a long wait and a quick prompt to the bar staff (I'm pretty sure they had forgotten), we were presented with 7 water crackers, 10 grapes, a small selection of cheeses and a quite tasty chutney, to which we sat and blinked at for a few moments until we consumed it in its entirety in all of about 60 seconds.

After, we embraced the view at the seats around the window positioned table, just quietly enjoying it, until my sister broke the silence with a comment that summed up the evening beautifully...

"Well we just spent £24.00 on a platter to cut a grape in half and share it!"

A few tips for this experience:

1. Don't arrive more than five minutes early as you will be sent away (there's a Starbucks just around the corner)

2. Take a coat and a scarf and a hat and gloves to wear inside - it's chilly up there!

3. Unless it's a super special occasion, eat before, drink before and just enjoy the view.

(Visited by The Lady Critique 10th February 2019 - 19:30)