Rooftop view

What started out as a non-exciting London adventure turned out to be one of the best ones. It started out at London Bridge, which is fairly normal since the train goes there, but I decided to go across Tower Bridge and head east, which isn't a usual route. Fred spotted a James Bond style boat moored to St Katharine's Docks, while I gawped at a yacht that is probably twice the size of my flat and worth much, much more.

From there, we headed north through Tower Hamlets, a residential area of high-rises and social housing (but a stone's throw away from St Katharine's). We hit familiar territory when the smells of Brick Lane hit us. Of course, that's a fantastic street to walk down and there's always something new and interesting going on. We rummaged in a pop-up vintage clothing sale (I came away unscathed) and chatted to local artists at a gallery. When I saw that there were seats in the sun outside S&M (Sausage & Mash, in case you thought it was something else), I just couldn't resist. After a plate of two veggie sausages, leek mash and red onion gravy each, we were fortified enough to hit the pavement again. We found the Heron Tower, the tallest skyscraper in the City of London, but were unimpressed with its grace compared to the Gherkin.

We turned down a side street and I noticed a new hotel boasting roof-terrace views. So, we went in, took the lift up 12 floors and were soon standing on the roof terrace with a non-alcoholic cocktail (which was very tasty) and soaking up the last of the sun's rays. From the roof, we could look down on the Tower of London, look across to Tower Bridge, marvel at the imposing sculptures on top of 10 Trinity Square, spot City Hall, and even spy the Crystal Palace transmitter. On the other side, the skyscrapers of the City loomed. Fantastic! If you're ever in London, go to the Mint Hotel, just for a drink and evening view.