London from St. Paul's Cathedral

'Oh my god, I can see the Eiffel Tower!' We look at each other and start laughing. Where we are: on top of St. Paul's Cathedral in London. And one thing we know for sure: you ain't gonna see the Eiffel Tower from here! However, according to the two American ladies, they do see the Eiffel Tower. Probably they are doing a tour through Europe. Probably they will skip Paris now as they have already seen the Eiffel Tower.

Climbing the cathedral originally built in 1708 was not difficult. At least, the start wasn't. A winding staircase brought us higher and higher. When we entered the dome, things started to change. We won't say that the climb was hard, but for people that are scared of heights... The stairs in the dome were made of a typical type of iron one can look through. Great if you want to see how high you are.

Once you reach the 85 meter high 'Golden Gallery' you get a panoramic view over the center of London. With clear weather, the view even reaches miles outside of London. However, not as far as Paris though. Unfortunately, clear weather is rare in London and most of the days, an overcast sky dominates London. Even at those dull days, a visit to the top of St. Paul's Cathedral is worth it. The views remain spectacular.

One major disadvantages of the St. Paul's Cathedral, however, is the fact that all tourists seem to want to climb to the top. On busy days (in school holidays and especially around Christmas) the 'Golden Gallery' can get very busy. We even experienced once that we were not allowed to stop to make photographs as this would stall the tourists going up. Therefore, it is advised to visit the St. Paul's Cathedral early on the day and preferably not during any of the school holidays.

When there are long waiting lines to go to the top, don't forget that the interior of the cathedral is also worth a visit.