Inside the O2

For those of you wondering what the O2 is like on the inside, here is a selection of photographs I took once we got off the boat.

The psychedelic walkway between the pier and the main entrance

O2 main entrance

Walking along Entertainment Avenue (I swear that's what it's called)

Round and round it goes...

...but not all the way!

I'd not realised this, but only about half of the available space is currently utilised, and only a relatively small part of it is taken up by restaurants and cafes. There's definitely plenty of choice if you're looking for a night out, but not as much as I'd imagined from the size of the place.

I was also suprised at how empty it was on a Sunday evening. I hope it's busier during the week.

The O2 by night

Last Sunday we visited the O2 for the first time. Previously known as the Millennium Dome, this interesting-looking structure houses a concert arena, music club, cinema, exhibition space, piazzas, restaurants and cafes.

It is located on Greenwich Peninsula, SE London, and was built in 2000 to celebrate the Millennium. It's circular, 365 m in diameter - one metre for each day of the year - and the largest dome of its type in the world.

We travelled by boat along the Thames. I took this photo just as our boat slowed down to approach the pier at O2.

Even more snow!

Even though it's warmer than it's been for some time (a balmy 0°C at the moment!) we've had fresh snow again today. Not a lot, but enough to make everything look pretty again.

I spent a good hour walking around my neighbourhood this morning, looking at the white stuff and taking a few photos. I like this one because it shows an interesting building as well as an old-style London black cub, complete with a thick layer of snow on the roof and hood.

More snow

This is another picture from my window. I took it a couple of days ago, during the latest snow shower.

We've not had any more snow since then, but surprisingly enough, most of what we got is still here and doesn't look like it's going anywhere fast.

At the moment, the temperature is -3°C but it feels like -7°C due to the freezing wind coming from the north pole. This may not sound a lot to those of you in Scandinavia, but it's a lot colder than we're used to. Brrr.

Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow

I took this picture from my study window half an hour ago. At that point, it'd been snowing for about an hour. As you can see, the main road is clear enough to allow a bus to speed through, but everything else is getting covered in snow. If you click on the photo to enlarge it, you'll be able to make out a young woman walking on the pavement.

This much snow is very unusual for London this early in the year, and it's not even the first we've had this winter. Over the last 3-4 weeks we've experienced some unseasonal and extreme weather, with plenty of frost, snow, sleet and low temperatures. According to the Met Office, it's been the most prolonged spell of freezing conditions since December 1981.

Festive Athens

I didn't make it to Greece this Christmas, so I'm borrowing this photo from a selection my friend Antonis Toutouzis has posted on Facebook. I liked this one because it's quite geometric and I also like the orangey light.

It appears that Athens was decorated in festive blue and white this year - this photo was the only one in Antoni's collection that had a red hue.

You can see more of Antoni's festive photos here.