My first smartphone safari with Jeanette Lendon in 2023 – Canary Wharf Winter lights!
Winter Lights is the largest, free light festival in London, transforming Canary Wharf with over 20 stunning spectacular installations, leaving the dark winter evenings aglow. The spectacle showcases light art and interactive installations by some of the most innovative artists across the globe working in light art today.
The Farnborough line to Waterloo was closed towards Basingstoke so I had to catch the slow train from Bracknell. This arrives in Waterloo on one of the old International platforms. Looking back it was a very full train.
I then walked up and down the Leake Street tunnel looking at the street art.
Then I caught the Jubilee Line to Canary Wharf.
Outside the Underground station I was a surprised at just how many people were in the square.
The Winter Lights
From one of the many stewards I picked up a map of the Winter Lights.
This showed where all the exhibits were and on the map was a thumbnail of each of them.
The plan was to meet Jeanette and the other members of the safari next the the Winter Lights sign. This was more difficult as it would seem as everyone wanted to have a picture next to or in front of the sign.
A lot of smartphones were in use!
The first light exhibits
The Greenhouse
The cascading ponds were lit under water with changing light patterns. Bursts of mist only added to the effect.
Some of the architecture of the wharf
Selfie reflections
We queued to stand in front of this ever changing colourful flower and in the centre our reflections.
And here I am in the reflection.
In the garden above the station
The escalators were all turned off and the crowds streamed up and down them. The steps on escalators are not the same as on stairs and in the crush I stumbled. The good was that I didn’t fall. However, the really bad news was that I twisted my knee. (Note: It was only after a lot of physio that in May I was finally walking again…:-( )
Crossrail Place Footbridge
I knew what to expect with the lights of the footbridge after our earlier visit.
These guys were kind enough to pose for me.
The last pictures for the safari
After saying our goodbyes to the group, I found a cascading light outside one of the bars.
Back at the station entrance…
Then it was back to the Jubilee Line, Waterloo and the slow train back to Bracknell
