London diary: Sky garden

No matter where I am in the world, I'm always looking for a peaceful and quiet place to just sit down and enjoy the moment. This is particularly true when it comes to London. I used to hate it. My first time in the city was a mid week stay in the fall of 2012, and I honestly thought I would never return to the city in this life time. It was raining all the time, I got lost, my hotel was complete crap, I couldn't sleep and I didn't feel safe. Somehow, seven years later, I have learned to love it here, despite all it's flaws; it's busy, it's loud and it's usually grey. The traffic is insane, that's just a fact, and visiting the UK from just about anywhere in the world will leave you utterly confused as to which direction the cars are going and coming from. There is a reason «look both ways before crossing» is written in stone on all pedestrian walk-ways. Navigating the city will feel like an impossible task at first. There are so many flickering traffic lights, diagonal streets, pedestrians jaywalking, bikes, scooters bumping into cars and taking shortcuts up on the side-walk, double deckers that wont stop unless you signal, bike lanes that come shooting out between buildings and there is an impressive amount of construction going on all over the city. All the time. But, hey, at least the tube is easy to navigate!

Anyways, I heard good things about Sky Garden when I visited London last year, so I decided to book a ticket before I even got to London this time. It's said to have the best aerial view in all of London, and I can’t really turn down the promise of an urban jungle.

And this is my review:

The views of London: yes!
The fantasy, idea and vision: yes!
The execution and my experience: NO!

If you read the FAQ section on Sky Garden's site carefully, you will learn that is a "naturally ventilated space". This translates to JUST as cold as outside, if not colder (because you're on the 35th floor). I don't know how tropical plants survive winter here, but I can only imagine the size of Sky Garden's greenery expense account, as they probably have to swap them out every single year. But these are just my speculations. Also, even though I booked my ticket two weeks in advance, I still had to wait in line outside the building in below freezing temperatures along with 100 other blue people. When my Northern Norwegian butt is cold, you know I ain't joking! It's safe to say that Sky Garden did not measure up to my expectation, at all. I was hoping for this lush, vibrant public space on top of London where I could sit down with a giant cup of coffee and read a book, but it felt more like a public freezer than anything else. Great for preserving food and drinks, not so much for humans.

The space itself is beautiful, and the contrast between nature and modern architecture is of course very beautiful, so I'm not saying it's a horrible place to be. Just not in winter. It's safe to say that I didn’t stay long. I walked around the space and looked at the view from all four angles, which was pretty good, I gotta say - but it’s pretty damn good over at Tate Modern in comparison. Plus, it's warmer and you don't have to stand in line or book a ticket in advance.

So, if you do decide to go, remember to book your visit well in advance and get there early. It's free, but you gotta plan it. Also, there are strict visitor rules and regulations, as to what you can and cannot bring with you up top. It's very much like going through security at the airport. Your bag will be scanned and no dangerous or weird stuff is allowed.