Get a Bird's Eye View of London on the London Eye
Excerpt from the book On a Tall Budget and Short Attention Span from the Teresa the Traveler Series.
I ended my London adventure the following day with a ride on Europe’s most popular paid attraction: the London Eye. The huge Ferris wheel, with 32 air-conditioned capsules each with a capacity of around 25 people, provides the best views of London. Also known as the Millennium Wheel, it was the tallest Ferris wheel in the world when it opened in March of 2000. It’s height of 135 meters has since been surpassed by the Star of Nanchung in China (160m) and the Singapore Flyer in Singapore (165m). It only had permission to operate it for five years but due to its popularity it has become a permanent London attraction.
I ended my London adventure the following day with a ride on Europe’s most popular paid attraction: the London Eye. The huge Ferris wheel, with 32 air-conditioned capsules each with a capacity of around 25 people, provides the best views of London. Also known as the Millennium Wheel, it was the tallest Ferris wheel in the world when it opened in March of 2000. It’s height of 135 meters has since been surpassed by the Star of Nanchung in China (160m) and the Singapore Flyer in Singapore (165m). It only had permission to operate it for five years but due to its popularity it has become a permanent London attraction.
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The line up looked huge but it went by surprisingly fast and before long I was on my way to the top of London for 30-minutes of playing spot the places I had been in the last few days. I quickly spotted Parliament Square, Hyde Park and Buckingham Palace.
Riding on the eye allowed me to view London from a different perspective much the same way as being in London allowed me to view my life from a different perspective. I felt more alive than I had in years. Back in Canada I often felt like I wasn’t good enough. My mother inadvertently played a role in that. She was very proud of everything I did and wanted to help by constantly suggesting ways for me to improve. She called it constructive criticism. I called it damaging my self-esteem. I pleaded for her to stop but it fell on deaf ears. So instead I endured countless self-esteem bashing relationships desperately hoping to find a man who would make me feel like I was good enough– I never found him. Truthfully, I didn’t want to settle down in the first place. The thought of being married with children scared the crap out of me. I viewed it much the same as a convicted felon viewed a life sentence. But ever since I hit 25, I imagined some invisible clock ticking inside me threatening to blow up if I didn’t reproduce before I hit 40. Heaven forbid I become an old maid. Who came up with that stupid phrase in the first place? I doubt the human species would become extinct if I failed to reproduce. What I really needed to do was give myself the approval my mother wasn’t always able to give and believe I was good enough. The last thing I needed to do was chase after that fairytale ending, hoping that the right man would come along and save me the trouble of learning to love myself. Antoine dropped by for a final visit and that little voice inside my head that has guided me into every disastrous relationship thus far said why don’t you stay in London for three months? It took all my strength to hand it a tall glass of Shut the Hell Up. If Antoine wanted me bad enough he could come to Paris and find me. Hey…was that my self-esteem talking? For tips on visiting England CLICK HERE
For tips on visiting Europe CLICK HERE For general travel tips on what to pack and how to plan ahead CLICK HERE For tips on travelling on a budget CLICK HERE |
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Where I Stayed...
Easton Hotel 36-40 Belgrave Road London, England Tel: 020 7834 5938 Fax: 020 7976 6560 [email protected] To book this hotel CLICK HERE 
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How to Get There: Take the London Underground and get off at Westminister Station then cross the bridge and you will see it.
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