The London Eye is just shy of being known as the iconic landmark of London, right behind Big Ben. This tourist trap is s little costly but worth the price of admission if for no other reason than to cross another item off the bucket list. There’s also no better way to take in sheer metropolis that is this city than a journey to the top.
It was a trademark gloomy day in London the morning I woke up with only hours to spare before my scheduled visit to the London Eye. After a spot of tea and something I can only describe as a glorified English muffin, I was off – my stomach much happier than the skies looming overhead.
Little bit of trivia on the Eye – it takes roughly half an hour to make a full circuit on this modern Ferris wheel – only just a bit faster than your average turtle. On a clear day most people can see as far as Windsor Castle, in no small part to the London Eye’s status as the 4th-tallest entity in the city.
I was ushered into my ‘sphere’ with about 30 other people, gripping cameras and clutching adorable English babies close to their chest. I barely realized we were moving until it became difficult to make out the faces of those waiting below. It’s more than fair to say I find heights … challenging, yet I was able to curb my fear here among the crowded pod. Perhaps it was a case of vicarious bravery.
The first thing I marveled at from my bird’s eye view was the English House of Parliament – the architecture I feel is something most truly can’t appreciate until they bask it all in, towering above it. Of course, it’s hard to miss the neighboring Big Ben standing guard just along the side. What a sight it was, busses whizzing past in the cold haze of an English morning.
One couple in the pod had actually gotten engaged years before in front of the London Eye – they were celebrating their 12th anniversary. They try to take the circuit every year but the elderly gentleman laughed and said they had a hiccup one year – a wife that is days away from giving birth can certainly do that to you. I adored their story and they look so happy together. The London Eye is enchanting enough to make the locals feel like tourists!
