Granary Square

Granary Square is just north of King’s Cross enriched in nautical history of trade and sailing, which brought the inspiration behind the designs of the fountains that now resides there. The hours that the fountains are on between 07:40 to 23:30 and the Granary Squirt app game between 17:00 to 20:00.

You can catch the fountains in the daytime and the night-time but it would be preferable to see them during the dark hours to see the full spectacle of the colours on display while you can catch it in the day when you can see the fountains grow to different heights. All in all, there are in total 1,080 fountain spurts using arcelormeter technology to propel and animate them individually. The fountains were designed by The Fountains Workshop.

The surroundings keeps planting to the minimal with an area of trees right by the fountains. Influence of maritime history are apparent in the area with not only of the fountains, but artworks of fishes and an enlarged steering wheel encased behind glass featured outside a restaurant on the ground. If you want to see more vegetation, you can head on over to Camley Street Natural Park around the corner. The Square is designed by Townshend Landscape Workshop.

The canalside steps located across the road from the fountains take up theme-designed steps accordingly to the holiday occasion such as spring and Halloween. You can catch canal boats running along Regent’s Canal as you relax on 1 of the 8 levels of steps.

Between 17:00 to 20:00 each day, everyone can play Granary Squirt which is a throwback to the days of playing Snake on Nokia phones. The aim of the game is to avoid heading into any dead walls, other snakes and random spurt walls. Tilting the phone fully in one direction will move the snake in that very direction, except of course, that you are turning it in the opposite direction to which it is moving in. The app is available on Apple and Android devices.

Right next door to the Square, you can ascend on to the Viewing Platform at the end of King’s Cross Boulevard catching views of the surrounding areas of King’s Cross catching a glimpse of the top of the Shard.

#GranarySquare

London Aquatics Centre

London Aquatics Centre, situated in Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, was built in 2012 for the Olympics and Paralympics. During this time it was used for diving, swimming and synchronised swimming. It was reopened for public use on 1 March 2014.

The centre was designed by Dame Zaha Hadid giving swirls to the structure reminiscent of the building’s sporting legacy in water sports. The structure itself holds 628 panels of glass to bring in natural light from the outside into the centre. The building is 45 metre high and the roof 160 metre long and up 80 metres wide.

London Aquatics Centre now brings different activities for adults and families with different levels of competency sorted to the users’ abilities:

• The Competition Pool has as 10 lanes at 50 metres long and 3 metres deep, which are used for competent swimmers who should be able to swim 100 metres in a recognised stroke.
• The Training Pool has 8 lanes at 50 metres long which is a safe environment for swimmers of all levels.
• The Diving Pool has platforms of 1 metre, 3 metre, 5 metre, 7.5 metre and 10 metre.

Diving facilities include trampoline, springboards, foam pits and harness with courses for sign up. The centre also provides swimming lessons for all skill levels and families. The centre has 2,800 seats with an optional addition of seats that can bring it up to 3,500 to spectate the main Competition and Diving Pool. The centre has a 50-station gym with equipment provided by Technogym. There is a café in the facilities near the main entrance with additional ones in the seating areas around the pools.

#LondonAquaticsCentre

St Patrick’s Day Parade and Festival 2015

London’s St Patrick’s Day Parade and Festival 2015 took place in Trafalgar Square and Piccadilly Circus on Sunday 17 March, two days before the grand day on Tuesday 17 March.

Despite the dreary London weather, the Irish festival took place on full blast with Irish food and drinks, music and dance in Trafalgar Square. The Main Stage showcased troupes, a tribute to W.B Yeats, sport, music and dance. In the surrounding area, there was a food market containing different Irish food and drinks as well as a bar which opened at 15:00. There were marquees set up for different organisations as well as a children’s marquee with arts and crafts activities for families to enjoy together.

The parade started off at Green Park at 12:00 making its way through to Piccadilly Circus, Trafalgar Square and White Hall, featuring the vibrancy of the Irish community with music, Irish dancing, art and culture.

#StPatsDayLDN

View Tube and Greenway

View Tube is located in the Greenway of the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park in the southern regions. What View Tube has to offer are a raised balcony, plant beds for growing food, café exhibitions and a café. The concept of is to bring green living into our day-to-day life. It is open every day between 09:00 to 17:00.

The balcony offers views of the Stadium, the ArcelorMittal Orbit and the London Aquatics Stadium. There are bike hires for individuals, families of four and groups of ten. View Tube runs every Friday morning maintenance of their plant beds which grow fruits, vegetables and herbs, which can be found outside on the grounds of View Tube and dotted along the Greenway. There are exhibitions on show at all times of the year showcasing works of different artists. The café run by Moka Café offers fresh, homemade food to settle down.

The Greenway itself runs through a 7km sewage system which is maintained by Thames Water. Greenway is a footpath that is used with many runners and cyclists due to its scenic and long route.

#ViewTube #Greenway