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The Shard
#1
Just back from London where I spent a week, one of the thing I did was to visit "The Shard", for the moment the tallest building in Europe (304.3 metres, 998 feet), and went up to the viewing platform on the 72nd floor (entrance fee £25/$39!). I had had to book ahead and chose the 10am time slot because the weather forecast said that by then the sun would be out and I had hoped to be able to take photos while the sun was comparatively low on the horizon. The views from the top are impressive but it was a slightly hazy day and all of the photo I took were pretty useless. I set my camera for the programme for taking through glass and most of the time I was careful enough to put the lens as close to the glass as possible to avoid reflections, but the results are really pretty poor. Most people taking photos didn't seem to be aware that standing back from the windows that they would be photographing mostly reflections.

So, a little advice for anyone visiting London and contemplating doing the same thing, the views are impressive but on a hot Summer's day there is bound to be haze and it simply isn't worth taking photos. The best time to take photos would be on a very cold, sunny Winter's day when you are unlikely to have a heat haze.

Just to give you an idea I'm including one photo called "Bad reflections". I'm including two more of well known landmarks just to give you an idea of the hazy conditions.

The best photo I took that morning was actually taken at ground level while I was walking towards "The Shard" and that was (ironically) reflections of a building in the glass of a modern building. I should have spent a bit more time on the composition and maybe it would have been better had I taken it vertically rather than horizontally, to show more of the modern building. As it is, you can only really see part of the glass fronted building in the top left hand corner of the photo.

PS: If you did go up to the 72nd floor on a bitterly cold but very sunny day, be warned that the 72nd floor is open to the sky and you would probably freeze your nuts off!

Hope this might be useful


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"You can be young without money but you can't be old without money"
Maggie the Cat from "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof." by Tennessee Williams
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#2
I would love to visit the UK. I love anything British.
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#3
WOW, I love the skyscrapes and I love the SHARD, (today i visited Canary Wharf) I did hundred of photos at it, I'm crazy, cause I live in London and everytime I shoot new photos like it was the first time...
It's very strange to see the tall ST. PAUL from that high, but honestly I don't wanna spend 25£ for it... Not at the moment.
The same is for the expensive and maybe boring LONDON EYE.

If you wanna see a nice, but cheaper skyline of London from an high point, you can climb the stairs of the MONUMENT for only 3£. There are a lot of steps, maybe 300 but not so different in comparision of the 200 to exit from the tube at Covent Garden or other stations LOL. With a very nice view.

You can also climb ST. PAUL CATHEDRAL, it's expensive, but You'll see the Art inside of it, not only the skyline, or eat a dinner/aperitif in some club/restaurant on a skyscraper in the City. Wow I tried it in the night, the weather was very good and the scene it was amazing but i didn't have my photocamera with me...
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#4
I love the shard, always see it coming into london on the train, its a magnificent building, i love it.
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#5
You've got to be careful with these things. The words 'tourist traps' come to mind. The London Eye is definitely not worth the 25 quid you pay to go there. Its just some wheel which moves very slowly. If you want a view of the city, just go to a high spot (such as Primrose Hill or Hampstead Heath) and look out over the city. These views aren't bad and you won't have to pay a fortune for them. If they were cheap then that'll be okay but these prices are expensive.

Plus you're only seeing the tourist side of London by going to places like The Shard, London Eye, South Bank, Canary Wharf etc. You can just as easily head out to suburbs such as Richmond, Greenwich, and Hammersmith, and have an equally good time for less.

I am not having a go or anything. Last time I went to Paris I fell for all the damned tourist traps over there including the stupid rouses some of the gypsy beggars pull. I won't make those mistakes again. I think capitals are overrated anyway. Next time I go abroad I'll try not to visit the capital city of that country. I am thinking of maybe a French provincial town or regional German city which I am sure will have as much to offer as Paris and Berlin.

Also London is a bit overrated as well. As someone who has lived there I know all about the dark side of the city.
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#6
I've been trying to find an internship opportunity there for years...
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#7
Tulloni Wrote:You've got to be careful with these things. The words 'tourist traps' come to mind. The London Eye is definitely not worth the 25 quid you pay to go there. Its just some wheel which moves very slowly. If you want a view of the city, just go to a high spot (such as Primrose Hill or Hampstead Heath) and look out over the city. These views aren't bad and you won't have to pay a fortune for them. If they were cheap then that'll be okay but these prices are expensive.

To some extent I agree with you but to be fair, the admission fees are:

Adult: £18.50
Child, 4-14: £9.50
Child, under 4: Free

It move slowly because it allows visitors to admire the view and to take photos. If it moved quickly then visitors would rightly feel cheated.

The entrance fee for The Shard is expensive: £25 if you book on line, nearly £30 if you book at the actual venue and, if you want instant access then it's a whopping £100.
"You can be young without money but you can't be old without money"
Maggie the Cat from "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof." by Tennessee Williams
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#8
Another great London attraction. I've never been to The Shard but reviews are excellent.

But my favorite thing to do in London is this:

http://www.thamesribexperience.com/
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#9
Tulloni Wrote:Last time I went to Paris I fell for all the damned tourist traps over there including the stupid rouses some of the gypsy beggars pull. I won't make those mistakes again. .

Thanks for posting. May I ask you what those mistakes were, exactly?

I love London and Paris too but I've only been to the French capital once. I tried to avoid the usual tourist traps (e.g. the aggressive street vendors in the Sacré Coeur area) but I made the mistake of going to one of those Buffalo Grill restaurants - it wasn't terrible but it was very expensive and the food was mediocre.

My favorite place in Paris: the wonderful Foyer de la Madeleine, a 'restaurant associatif' where you can have a great meal for 10€ and help the less fortunate.
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