Uh-oh, I didn’t get around to publishing this until early Saturday morning. So this is Snapshot Saturday I guess (that’s not a bad name!).
A week ago I unveiled my blog’s first recurring segment – Foto Friday. I started off with a landscape of the Cliffs of Moher, in Ireland. I also still love the name, at the expense of all you grammatically correct people out there.
This week I’d like to share another photo from the same trip: the London Eye, taken at dusk from the Westminster Bridge.
An ample serving of touristy with a touch of graininess, I know, but I haven’t been doing the photographer thing for very long. When I first set foot in London, visiting the London Eye was far down my list of things to do. But, on my second evening in the city, I had to admit I was fairly excited to see what it was all about. I had seen it in pop culture and promotional videos of London for years and years. I was drawn to it.
The cab pulled up to a park near the River Thames on which the Eye stood. My first impression was that it was a freakishly overgrown ferris wheel – laughably dwarfing any carnival attraction by several orders of magnitude. And then I entered the tourist trap. Hundreds – maybe even thousands – of people coming and going to and from every which direction. It was a little bewildering at first.
Having some time before our “departure” (liftoff? takeoff?), I took some pictures, grabbed a bite to eat and then set off to grab tickets. Supposedly it would take over a half hour to make it through the line to get on the wheel, and so, not wanting to miss the sunset photo op, snagged my (not so cheap) tickets and headed straight for the queue… where I promptly stepped on the ride not five minutes later.
It was mildly frustrating that I might not get the photos I wanted, but there were only a few other passengers in our pod besides my family, so it was a very open, comfortable journey to the sky. And boy, did we ever get high. At the apex I could clearly see most of the city, sprawling out towards the horizon on all sides. I didn’t respect the sheer scale of the place. It was massive; a megalopolis that 8.6 million people call home.
The conversation seemed to taper away at the top. Everyone took a deep breath and had that take it all in moment, and rightfully so. That one moment was worth the price of admission. I didn’t think I would care for it as much as I did, but it made me fall in love with the place even more.
It took perhaps 25 minutes to make the full rotation around the wheel, and the various displays around the pod showed us where famous landmarks were scattered about the city, and where interesting things happened in history. All in all a great experience, and something I’d recommend you do if you visit London, at the expense of sounding very touristy. Once the wheel touched ground, we disembarked having made a few new friends and having gained an excellent memory.
Thanks for joining me for my second Foto Friday, I hope you enjoyed it. I’ll leave you with a bit of advice: You need way more than three days to explore London.
Cheers.
{the hematite blog} 
I love London and your post took me right back to the first time I visited when I went on the Eye with a couple of girlfriends. Your description revived so many memories – the seemingly long queue times that turned into nothing, the overwhelming number of tourists, and of course the view that this ride affords you. A little touristy? Yes. But totally memorable.
LikeLike
I’m very glad my post could generate a little nostalgia. Maybe it’s time to get travelling again. Thanks for your comments!
LikeLiked by 1 person
I’m long overdue, which is why I’m taking off at the end of November for two weeks, and after reading your post I’m more excited than ever.
LikeLike
Fantastic to hear! I hope it’s a great trip!
LikeLike