Eye Can See You!

Regardless of the dorky title, my trip on the London Eye today was absolutely spectacular. The London Eye was built for the millennium celebrations in 2000 and is currently is the world's largest Ferris wheel. Each of the fully air conditioned cabins holds twenty people, and the entire rotation for the wheel lasts 30 minutes. The eye is located in the Southbank area of London, along the River Thames, which has easily become the most "touristy" spot in the city. Cheesy "Niagara Falls-style" signs and advertisements line the streets, while Christmas lights hang in the trees and are strung between the lamp posts. Street performers are a dime a dozen, and children excitedly run for the merry-go-round. The London Eye experience begins with the "London Eye 4D Experience," which was a 3D film that showed the eye from above, and, also, showed the city illuminated at night, complete with fireworks. (I have figured out that the 4th Dimension is having water squirted on you). The wait for the ride was about 20 minutes, and once on board, the views of the city were incredible. London is truly the most far reaching city I have every seen, and even when rising 430 feet above the ground, the city's boundaries are no where to be seen. As is true of most amusement park rides nowadays, the ride ended with a nicely overpriced gift shop!