Visiting England: London Eye

When I am talking to my friends about the highlights of my trip to London, not everyone is familiar with The London Eye. It is a giant observation wheel on the banks of the Thames that was built to celebrate the millennium (the wheel is said to be symbolic of time turing into a new century).

Giant glass pods rotate so slowly that the wheel never stops. Guests simply step out of the pod when their rotation is complete, the wheel slowly moves to the next station where new guests step on for their "flight."

I love a beautiful view, but am wary of standing too close to the edge of anything, so I wasn't so sure about The London Eye. I wanted to love it, but was a little nervous. Poof! My fears disappeared the moment I was on board. It is roomy, solid and moves so slow that you hardly think of it as a "trip" at all.

I decided to show you how impressive The London Eye is by letting it dwarf Big Ben. There is no camera "trickery" going on. I simply stood on a bridge and captured both structures in the frame.

Now you can say what I said, "Wow."