last wednesday - aka "the hottest day in london in over ten years", i bunked off early from work (with permission!) in order to meet mike in a gin bar in south london, abuse the air conditioning, eat some delicious crab mac and cheese, and then go and bake to death in essentially what can only be compared to a greenhouse, in tower bridge's north tower. we were there with one hundred other members of the press to help zwilling and staub launch their new collections with a bit of style; 42 metres above the thames river.
with presentations from top chefs jeremy pang (of covent garden's school of wok) and tom kerridge (of like, top chef of the united kingdom fame, apparently), it was something i was desperately looking forward to - and not only because "going up the bridge" has been on my london bucket list since day dot in the city. we made our way there and walked to the north tower at street level, noticing for the first time the glass walkway above that i'd heard was now open, but was genuinely terrified of having to deal with...
the views from the top of the bridge absolutely blew me away. i've been high before - the shard, duck and waffle, the monument, but i've never seen such incredible views of the city - east london especially. from st. katherine dock below us to canary wharf in the east, it was crystal clear birds eye view, as far as the eye could see. and then there was the 42 metre drop beneath the glass walkway to deal with. i closed my eyes and rushed across while mike lazily took his time, stopping for pictures along the way.
i sneaked a peek. it wasn't fun.
we indulged in the chilled wine and canapés while we played with the new ranges from zwilling and staub (review to come!), but the highlight for me was definitely the view once the sun started to set (yes, we were there that late); the skyline became illuminated with the city lights (all the pictures looked crap, sadly), and the tower started to cool down a little bit, and the dizzying heights started to seem less dizzying. it was a really amazing experience, and i can't recommend it enough.
both tourists and londoners alike, listen up; this is an experience not to be missed!
