I left my beautiful hotel in the morning and made my way to the airport (arriving 2 hours and 20 minutes before my flight so a little earlier then needed), checked in, went through security, went to my gate and waited... and waited... and waited... and waited. My flight was delayed by over an hour and a half so it made for a long day waiting around in the airport.
When I finally arrived back in London, a phone call to my dear friend, Wiz and we were off to the local, the Dickens Inn, for a drink or two (it was going to be just one then dinner but we made new friends) and then off to dinner. That was Friday.
So Saturday it was time to hit the road and explore the streets of London once again, the plan to see something new and something old. The new... London Eye.
The London Eye...
first opened March,2010
stands 135m tall (equivalent to 64 red telephone boxes piled on top of each other)
Each rotation takes about 30 minutes, meaning a capsule travels at 26cm per second, or 0.9km (0.6 miles) per hour - twice as fast as a tortoise sprinting; allowing passengers to step on and off without the wheel having to stop
The London Eye can carry 800 passengers per revolution - equivalent to 11 London red doubled-decker buses
So after joining the queue (I bought a fast-track ticket, which means only 15 minutes in the line... 10 pounds more but only 15 minutes in queue, well worth it) it was time to board my flight and step in to the capsule, as it says above, the wheel keeps turning and it is the weirdest sensation to step on to, with that first step you are away.
You stand in your capsule looking out over the river, moving around looking at the view out the window. As I said with the Eiffel Tower there is something special about being up high and looking out...
the thing with the view in the London Eye is that it is always changing, as you move up and around, the landscape in front of you evolves as you rise, you see things that you couldn't see before and the excitement grows as you travel.
It is surprising how quickly the time passes as you travel the loop and before you know it the time has come to step off, the sensation of "solid" ground under your feet again does take you by surprise.
Heading from one wonderful destination to another I headed to the Tower of London... the Eye is only ten years old while the Tower of London has a history over a thousand years old.
It amazes me to look around at things such as the Tower and to think about how old they are... I come from a country that is just over two hundred years old and I am standing in front of something that is five times older than that... it is mind blowing.
Standing looking at a place that has such a violent history, killing of queens by beheading and the number of people that had been imprisoned here, I found myself surprised at it's beauty and calmness.
Unfortunately I only had an hour or so at the Tower, I was told by staff that it does take two to three hours to tour it properly and I believe this but I still wanted to experience it and I am glad that I did. The one thing that I really wanted to see while I was there were the Crown Jewels. Unfortunately once again I was told photography is not allowed and once inside you are constantly moving and very low light so I did shoot a few from the hip but not many.
As I waited in line and made my way through to the Jewels, I was overwhelmed with the history of England... there is a display showing the dates and crests of all the Kings and Queens of England, it is one thing to have grown up hearing of them but actually seeing and experiencing the history is something else.
You make your way through and as you do you are shown video of the Crown Jewels and the Coronation of Queen Elizabeth II. The Queen looks so very young in the video of her Coronation and she was, becoming Queen at the age of 23 but the other thing you notice is how the robes and Crown appear so heavy and that she needed assistance to stand, not until you actually do see them you realise that yes they are very heavy.
After a day of exploring it was time to catch up once again with my dear friend... drinks at a pub in Notting Hill (after going to two different beer garden venues to be told they were closed due to private parties) before dinner at Electric.
A wonderful day and night...
Unfortunately I only had an hour or so at the Tower, I was told by staff that it does take two to three hours to tour it properly and I believe this but I still wanted to experience it and I am glad that I did. The one thing that I really wanted to see while I was there were the Crown Jewels. Unfortunately once again I was told photography is not allowed and once inside you are constantly moving and very low light so I did shoot a few from the hip but not many.
(Coronation plates that are used during the celebration after the Coronation)
As I waited in line and made my way through to the Jewels, I was overwhelmed with the history of England... there is a display showing the dates and crests of all the Kings and Queens of England, it is one thing to have grown up hearing of them but actually seeing and experiencing the history is something else.
(the train of the robes that Queen Elizabeth II wore during her Coronation)
After a day of exploring it was time to catch up once again with my dear friend... drinks at a pub in Notting Hill (after going to two different beer garden venues to be told they were closed due to private parties) before dinner at Electric.
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