Here's the latest on our travels abroad!
The London Eye
The
London Eye was built for the Millennium Celebration and sits on the southern
bank of the Thames River, next to the London Aquarium. It is the world's
largest Ferris wheel at over 300 feet in height! We first spotted "The
Eye" on our Sunday train ride from Esher to Waterloo Station. Later that
same day we got a closer look as we walked back from Covent Garden to the train
station. [The background picture on this page is one I took, looking from
the land-based supports, up to the top of the eye.]
Rather
than the open seats you see in Ferris wheels at county fairs, the London Eye has
32 glass-enclosed pods that carry 25 passengers each. And, rather than
taking a 'ride,' one takes a 'flight' (it should be noted here that the Eye is
sponsored by British Airways). This is a tremendously popular attraction,
and every time we walked by the Eye during our stay in London, the lines were
very long. Fortunately (as we learned), the lines also move rather
quickly.
The
flight takes 30 minutes. It is not a fast ride; in fact, you don't really
have a sensation of moving at all. Instead, the scenery changes almost
imperceptibly. This gives one the opportunity to view from the air the
complete vista of London and its historical landmarks.
And
we had a beautiful day in which to see the London panoramas - sparse clouds, no
haze, and mild temperatures. As we reached the top of the Eye, a family
next to us (British) was pointing out various sights. The mother was
saying "Here's Big Ben - there's Buckingham Palace..." etc. And then the
daughter (age 4?) asked: "Where's the Statue of Liberty?" - that remark
conjured up more than a few chuckles...
As
we ended our flight, we got a great view of the entrance to the London Aquarium
and more trampolines (similar to those in Covent Garden), but, after such a full
day, we elected not to bounce, and instead headed back to Esher on the train.
We were glad to get such a good tour of London by bus, boat and air!