Scavenger Hunt 1 (5•23•23)

Our first day of the scavenger hunt started on Tuesday afternoon. Our group split up and decided to complete hunt #1, which consisted of visiting the Skygarden, London Bridge, Leadenhall Market, the Monument of the Great Fire of London, and the Gherkin. We had a group of five girls, which worked out very well. We were all clear with communication, followed traffic and signage around the city, and overall enjoyed the scavenger hunt.

 

 

We first walked by the London Bridge when we were splitting up our groups. After crossing the river to reach our scavenger hunt destinations, we visited the Monument of the Great Fire of London. The Monument was built to commemorate the Great Fire of London, which occurred in 1666 and burned a portion of the city. The fire destroyed thousands of buildings, including homes, churches, and important landmarks. The Monument serves as a reminder of this historic event and the subsequent efforts to rebuild the city.

 

Following the Great Fire of London, we went to 26 Fenchurch Street, where the SkyGarden is located. The Sky Garden is a public rooftop garden in London. It is often referred to as the "Walkie Talkie" building due to its distinctive shape. Unfortunately, there was a private event going on at the time, and we were not able to access the rooftop garden. 

 

 

Following this, we stopped by the Leadenhall market, where we saw many shops and places to grab something to eat. The market is known for trading meat and poultry, the market expanded to include other goods such as fish, cheese, and herbs. Today, it houses a variety of boutique shops, cafes, pubs, and restaurants, making it a vibrant.

 

 

 Then, we viewed the Gherkin, which was an incredible building. While the Gherkin is primarily a commercial building, it does offer public access to certain areas. The top floors of the building host a restaurant and bar called "Searcys at the Gherkin" which provide visitors with panoramic views of the city.Later in the evening, I was in the area, and I saw the Gherkin lit up with the reflection of other buildings. 

 

My favorite part of the scavenger hunt today was learning about the important history that each market, building, monument and street holds. A personal favorite was viewing the Gherkin building, as it is a building I have never seem before, I decided to do some research on the building after we viewed it. The Gherkin’s unusual shape makes it stand out from traditional buildings in the city of London’s financial district.