Several people had recommended experiencing the London Eye on our trip. I was aware of it, but I wasn't excited about it. We have a friend who is English and he sold it so heavily I was afraid of really missing something special, so we booked tickets online and made the trek for Sunday morning.
[For those that don't know what the London Eye is, it is effectively a big ferris wheel that has enclosed capsules that fit about 15-20 people instead of a car. It was built for the millennium change and was originally going to be torn down, but proved to be so popular that the city kept it. It is a widely known and visited tourist attraction because it provides a fantastic view of of the Thames and many of the famous and lovely London sites.]
I have to say, despite my reservations, I found it a cool experience. We retrieved our tickets from nearby kiosks and only had to wait in line for a few minutes. I can imagine that at the height of tourist season this is a long wait and can be crowded. The capsules are climate controlled which meant that we had a lovely warm room to go into and enjoy the scenery.
It moves slow enough that you really don't feel any movement, but you notice it by the change in scenery. Big Ben and Parliament make the best view because they are close and it is nice to see them together and from a bit of a distance. You can see Buckingham Palace from the capsule as well, but you can't get a picture that is defined enough to make it worthwhile.
We enjoyed our last few hours in London walking around and enjoying the sites. We had a lovely lunch at a take-out only restaurant tucked into a nook right by our favorite perfumery, Jo Malone. We had to stop in and get a little something as a souvenir. I had fallen for the Pomegranate Noir sample that I had received with a gift for Dane a year ago, so I decided now was a good time to get the scent. It was lovely.
Thankfully, we got out of town right before the snowstorm hit. Snow rarely falls in London, and a snowstorm of several inches came in right as our train was leaving. We saw the results on the countryside the further from the city we went, and were so grateful that we didn't get stranded there. The news reports showed that all transportation in the city - Tube, tram and buses - shut down because of the weather for a couple of days. Whew, close one.
[Incidentally, this last photo is one of my favorite pictures yet. Love it!]
1 comment:
That last photo is beautiful. I would have been a little apprehensive of the ride, but would have enjoyed it once up there. I want to visit London someday.
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