h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Since I was in the area and had never bothered before, I ventured to the Monument.

For those that don't already know The monument commemorates the start of the great fire of London in 1666 and was designed by Christopher Wren and Robert Hooke.

It is on the site of the first church destroyed by the fire and it's height 202ft is the distance from there to the bakers shop in pudding lane where the fire started.

Because there wasn't a queue I thought why not, so paid my money and set off up...

Flaming hell by half way I was out of breath and cursing Wren and Hooke for not building it closer to the scene, that is 311 very long steps up a spiral staircase.

By the time I got to the top I was also cursing them for not supplying a bar up there as I could have really done with a pint at that point.

The view of course is amazing, even today you can see over a lot of the office blocks in the area and fortunately for me the weather stayed dry after earlier rain.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monument_to_the_Great_Fire_of_London

Of course the Wiki article mentions the Golden Boy of Pye Corner where the fire was stopped, so now I will have to go and visit that on another day.