London Eye

Once we arrived in downtown London at the Waterloo train station it was not difficult to figure out what our first attraction was going to be. As we stepped outside the station, we were greeted by this view of the now famous London Eye, officially called the Millenneum Wheel, standing on the south bank of the River Thames. This tallest in the world viewing wheel, at 135 m (443 ft) was built to celebrate the incoming 21st Century and officially opened on Dec. 31, 1999 (although it was not open to the public until March, 2000).

A recent public opinion poll voted the Eye as the best tourist attraction in the world, and I would have to say that I really enjoyed our 'flight' on it! We soon hoofed it over to their very efficient ticketing area where the long lines moved along quickly as we picked up our 12.5 pound (US$22) tickets. The second photo shows a view of the Wheel hub and the rotating 'pods' directly above our heads as we then stood in a second line to actually board the Eye (the entire structure weighs 2100 tonnes).

Directions: Waterloo tube, Lambeth area of London

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London Eye