Tuesday 24 June 2008

England Part I - The London Eye

On 5 June 2008 it was announced that 30 million people had ridden on the London Eye since its opening in March 2000.

I'm pretty certain that the 30 millionth person was ME!

(Well.... actually I rode the Eye on June 4, but it obviously took until the next day to confirm the numbers. It was definitely me! No doubt whatsoever in my mind.)

The Eye is an impressive structure no matter which way you look at it.

I rode in a glass pod with air conditioning, thank goodness, you could sizzle in there on a hot sunny day. Each pod rotates on a special device designed to keep everyone upright as the wheel turns.

The view is spectacular. Need I say more? The Eye took me 135 metres above the City of London, taking 30 minutes to travel one revolution so there's loads of time to spot landmarks.

This is looking at the Thames downstream, with St Paul's Cathedral in the centre of the picture and the Gherkin extreme right....

.... and upstream, Battersea Power Station in the distance.

Westminster Abbey is the light coloured building behind Big Ben.

Buckingham Palace and St James' Park in the centre of the picture. This is the middle of London and look at all those trees!

Big Ben and the Houses of Parliament at Westminster.

I was lucky to spend a whole day sightseeing in London, so more pics soon.

20 comments:

  1. Welcome home! I've missed you! It sounds like you had a wonderful time. Now...I do not like ferris wheels, not at all. However, I certainly would venture on The London Eye if/when I ever find myself there. Half an hour with such grand views?!?! Can you just imagine how many photos I can take in that much time? hundreds I tell you! Thank you for sharing your beautiful shots. Perhaps one day I'll travel across the great Atlantic. Can't wait for Part II, III, IV... :)

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  2. I'm positive you were the 30 millionth person and also positive you have no fear of heights! What wonderful pictures - the next best thing to being there. Re your prior post: fish'n'chips no longer wrapped in newspaper? What next!!!

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  3. WOW! first i heard of the EYE! next time i hit london, i'm going on it! what great photos! i used to have a fear of heights, but no longer. do they have maps inside the pods to help you recognize what you're seeing? or do you just have to be smart?

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  4. Yes, really nice to see you around again! (... and hopefully now back to normal sleep)!

    London is fabulous and in my mind getting better and better (unfortunately also more and more expensive)! Now only two hours away by train from Paris (and vice versa)!

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  5. Wonderful to see you back, ex-S. I knew you'd have some great photos to share and you surely didn't disappoint. Looking forward to more.

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  6. you must be so happy to be home. i'm glad the trip went well. now you can settle in...

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  7. Great photos; those pods are amazingly big. I can't believe you can stand up inside and walk around. Looking forward to more of your travelogue.

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  8. That is one COLOSSAL structure!!!

    It must be insanely expensive... I must have one. (Just kidding.)

    Those are incredible shots. Congratulations on being the exact 30 millionth rider, even though it has not been officially confirmed and notarized. You are special enough to be given the credit for that at least!

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  9. I'm sure you were the 30,000,000 visitor too. that is a whole lot of people in 8 years. I don't like heights either but the Eye looks fascinating enough to go in it. 30 minutes is a long time to see the views. Terrific photos ex-S. I especially like the one looking up the structure with all the angles.
    These are a great beginning to your travelogue.

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  10. Wow, what a view. I'm going there this summer and will definitely try it out. More pics please.

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  11. London - certainly is a great city, but wouldnt want to live there.
    Great pics tho.

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  12. What fabulous pictures. I've never had the courage to go on the London Eye, but I'm starting to warm to the idea.

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  13. Wow! What a view! Last time I went up there (also the first) was back in 2001. I wonder which number I was. LOL.

    Great photos :)

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  14. Wow! What a fabulous place to visit!!! I may have been a bit nervous to ride the London Eye however.

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  15. I love the second photo, the way you have shot the picture with the lamp in the centre. Clever Girl!

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  16. GREAT Pictures and this amazing "ride" was not there when I was last in London---It HAS been a while....The views look spectacular! Great Great Pictures!

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  17. Oh my goodness! Thirty minutes? It looks scary, although I must admit the view is spectacular!

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  18. Hmm...was it scary being up that high?

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  19. It amazed me how much greenery was around London when we went in the eye!!!

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