Lomography

What took seven years to build, weighs as much as 1,272 London Black cabs, and is the fourth tallest structure in London? Still don't know? Well, EYE will tell you! I was captivated by this iconic British landmark and was more than happy to start snapping away!

To those who have visited London as well as those who have yet to experience my capital city, you are most likely aware of the ‘’London Eye’’ already or the symbol of twenty-first century London if you wish. Suspended over the river on the south bank of the Thames, this magnificent Ferris-wheel structure is something that is not to be missed!

Quite frankly, it’s humongous! And if you get the chance to walk right up to it, it’s even more humongous than it was when you viewed it from the Thames Bridge. Last September I got to experience the beauty and purpose that the London Eye has to offer: a unique opportunity for a panoramic view of London! A vital element of the wheel is its 32, 10-tonne capsules and I got to go in one of them. :-) It takes around half an hour for 1 full turn of the wheel which might sound like a long time, but with my cameras in tow, there was not enough time! I was lucky that it was a bright clear day and it’s true, you can literally see for miles (apparently 25!) from the top, as far as Windsor Castle.

If I’m going to be honest, I was worried to go on this ride as I might get claustrophobic or suffer from vertigo (not that I’ve ever experience that but you never know) and of course, how safe is it. Thankfully, I need not worry as the capsules were surprisingly large and you can either walk around or sit down on the bench in the middle and take in all of London from every angle.
The view was breathtaking there’s no getting away from that! Seeing all the landmarks and looking down on Big Ben was pretty amazing, but what I strangely took a liking to was how you can see every bolt, every metal frame holding the next capsule up! It must be my age (or the fact that I had just come from ‘’The Natural History Museum’’ and was blown away by the Charles Darwin exhibition) because I never normally care about the structure of things but I have to admit, the engineering work on the London Eye was just magnificent.

If you ever get a chance to go (or even if you live in London and have never been) I would recommend taking a visit to the London Eye, if not for the panoramic views of London then to marvel at the engineering work, :-)

PS Depending on the weather I’ve heard that the best time to go is early evening when London is at its prettiest as the sun goes down and the skyline is very much alive!

xxx Zoe

www.londoneye.com