London Eye

These are all photos taken in or near the London Eye which is a giant ferris wheel. The ferris wheel was right outside our hotel. The first photo shows Rafe and Sean standing on a bridge across the river from our hotel. This gives you a good perspective on how large the ferris wheel is. The second photo shows our view while riding the wheel of Big Ben and the House of Parliament in the background. The ticket was good for the whole day, so we rode it in the morning and then again at dusk so we could see the lights of the city. There are spectacular views of London from the top of the ferris wheel. One of the things we really enjoyed about the city was its architecture. Obviously they have beautiful buildings built hundreds of years ago, but also their brand new architecture was really innovative. Evidently some Londoners call the ferris wheel the London Eyesore. I'm not sure why because I thought it was quite pretty. It is the second largest ferris wheel in the world (the largest is in Singapore) and it opened in 1999. The wheel never stops to load people up -- it just rotates so slowly that you walk on and off while it's still moving. London is hosting the Olympics in 2012, and they have stated that the Olympic emblem will be attached to the Eye for the duration of the Olympics.