Okay, I’m in London, so I guess I have to ride the London Eye. The last time I was near it, the weather was gray and low, but today is bright. I don’t want to deal with all of the crowds, though, so I wait until late in the afternoon to head over there.
It’s not really that far from my flat, just across the Westminster Bridge. I decide to try taking a bus as far as Westminster. It’s a lovely day, nearly hot, so waiting for the bus is no problem. I get off where some helpful lady tells me to, and then deal with the massive crowds by Westminster Abbey. It’s quite frightening, really, at one point. I go to cross the street to the island in the middle of the giant intersection, but when I get to the island, there’s no room for me. There are too many people there already. I’m left standing in the street, in the traffic lane! Obviously, I lived to tell the tale, but it was intense.
You can imagine how long the line for tickets is. Long enough for me to get totally bored people watching, advertisement reading, and trying to identify unknown languages. It costs 17GBP to do the ride, which is equal to around $25. After I get the ticket, I’m herded with the rest of the folks into a small theatre to watch a very loud 3D movie about riding the London Eye. It’s not horrible, but I could do without it.
Next I go outside to wait in the line to get on the actual ride. This is another 40 minutes or so. While I’m waiting, I strike up a conversation with a man from Birmingham who has two sons there with him, a 6 year-old and a 12 year-old. We all start talking. The 12 year-old seems anxious, and mentions repeatedly that he didn’t know I was one of his father’s friends. The younger boy is as boisterous and energetic as any dude his age who’s about to go on a major tourist attraction. The conversations are interesting, and pass the time for us all. The older son is quite worried about how fast the ride will be. It moves extremely slowly; you can see that from where we are, but he still seems irrationally concerned. We all finally make our way onto the huge glass and steel pods.
Me as We First Get on the Ride
As you can see, we’re just above the River Thames when we first get onto the Eye. Big Ben and Westminster Abbey are just down the street, so we can see them close up.
Big Ben and Westminster Abbey at the Beginning of the Ride
Just a few minutes later, we can see more of the city, with the Houses of Parliament and the War Offices (I think).
Big Ben and the Houses of Parliament
I should warn you that I don’t know the names of all the famous buildings and areas, and may get some of this wrong. There’s no official tour guide, but one man in our pod seemed to know quite a bit and was pointing things out to those of us who were interested.
Here’s a great picture of a bridge full of red, double-decker buses.
Bridge with Busses
In this photo, I’m pretty sure that big swath of green is Hyde Park. But it’s just a guess.
Possibly Hyde Park on the Upper Right
This one’s from near the very top, looking down on our side of the river.
From the Top
Looking down on Jubilee Gardens, where the London Eye is located.
Jubilee Gardens
Look at the incredible stone work they put on the top of this building. This was built before airplanes, helicopters, the London Eye, or even cranes, so the only people who could see it were those who opened the nearby windows and hung out of them. It’s amazing to me how much energy and work has gone into making these buildings so lovely.
Statuary on Top of a Building
It was really cool to be up there, seeing the city from on high. I enjoyed it. As I was walking back across the Westminster Bridge, I turned and took a photo of the London Eye, a modern marvel, situated next to the old County Hall, which is a gorgeous old building.
The London Eye Next to The County Hall
This is the essence of London—the old integrated with the new, history valued as much as progress. I really love that about this ancient city, which began before the Romans called it Londinium, and which will host the 2012 Olympics.
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