Southbank: Woodland Garden

You might remember my previous post on Southbank's secret rooftop garden. It's a really cool space, full of little nooks and crannies to explore. I would advise all elves and their human friends to walk round to the other side of the garden - there are many larger plants here, like this purple puffy one which had many bumblebees around it, and also a way to the Woodland Garden!

Here's the tunnel which leads out of the secret rooftop garden. There are vines climbing eagerly all over the tunnel, and it's so surreal - like something out of Alice in Wonderland. It feels like you've become a miniature elf and got stuck in a hedge. You know what I mean.

This intriguing little sign invites us to 'cross the bridge to see what's growing in our Woodland Garden'. Well, I'd be pleased to accept! As you can see from the bottom right-hand corner of the picture, there are even a few plants growing on the concrete bridge itself!

After all that walking, I'm a little tired. It's a good job, then, that in the Woodland Garden there's a set of stools and a little table to relax at! In one of my rebellious moods, I decided to climb onto the table for my 'elfie. There's a pair of sunglasses sitting on the table too. I think those must have been left by a previous explorer. I left them there, in case the owners retraced their steps to find them.

I am well camouflaged amongst all these slender tree trunks! It's a very odd atmosphere, since the wood is real, yet the grass underneath is carpet disguising itself as grass, and there's a ceiling overhead. Add the sunlight bursting in from behind, and it's an oddly mystical, complex environment.

I'm going to climb in and out of these tree trunks for a little while now.

See you soon,

Elf Dryadalis

Southbank: Festival Hall

If it wasn't for the sign, or the multi-coloured pillars, you might think this was a multi-storey car park by the River Thames! But actually, the Royal Festival Hall, despite its drab concrete appearance, is a 2,500-seat concert venue, home to the London Philharmonic Orchestra, among others.

It's best reached from London Waterloo, or London Charing Cross train stations.

It's worth walking around the outside of the building, since the geometric shapes eventually grow on you and make it more obvious why this building is actually Grade 1 listed (meaning it has been officially recognised as having architectural value). There are loads of steps in the most unexpected of places, and they lead to rooms, gardens......anything, really!

Outside one of the entrances is this bust of Nelson Mandela. I personally think that Mandela was better-looking than this rather scrunched-up statue face, but since I have little stone-shaping elfcraft of my own, I guess this is a nice bust anyway.

Here's one of the main entrances. A good little thing to know is that there are toilets in this building which the public can access, since otherwise you'd have to walk all the way to the train station and pay to go for a wee!

There are also many events which take place within the building. Right now it's the 'Festival of Love', celebrating mankind and elfkind's most powerful force in all its forms.

Now I think I'll go for a snack.

The 'Real Food Market' has dozens of stores selling fresh produce, from meat to sweets. Be warned; it's quite expensive (for example a hog roast sandwich is £5, without drinks, and a slice of cake is £2-£3), but fine for a treat (or if you're really rich).

Look at all these stores! They're the food stores I was talking about earlier. Take an umbrella, just in case it rains while you visit!

Phew. That was exhausting. I'm just going to sit down now, and enjoy the sunshine.

See you soon,

Elf Dryadalis