The London Eye

Today I was met with a challenge. Florence is afraid of heights; at least, she says she is afraid of carnival rides that reach heights. When I started planning my parents' visit to London, one of the things I suggested was that we take a ride on the London Eye.

Try though I might, Flo was dead set against setting foot on the eye. She had gotten scared (apparently) on Ferris Wheel once because at the ride stopped suddenly whilst she was on it and in the top position. The car rocked back and forth.

I have to admit at this point, that I do suffer from a bit of acrophobia, but The Eye does not give me any kind of problems. For one thing, the cars are completely enclosed. For another, the wheel doesn't (generally) stop. It runs continuously, one enters and exits whilst it is moving. Finally, it moves very slowly so there is little noticeable motion as the riders move along.

If you get to London, especially if you get here when the weather is nice, you have to take a ride on the eye. The views are spectacular. You can see most of the whole of the city from the top and many of the tourist attractions that you will be seeing are viewable from The Eye. Bring your camera! (But apparently, they do not like tripods, mine was taken and checked at the entry. It was returned at the exit, but...)

As we approached, I pointed out to Flo the wheel and explained that it was moving as fast as it was ever going to move. Flo said that she didn’t see it moving. I had her stand still and pointed-out that the cars were rising on one side above the surrounding trees, and falling on the other behind the building.

When we got to the ticket office, I just went ahead and bought three tickets. Flo, Dad and I went and got into line. Fifteen minutes later, all three of us were on The Eye! I was successful in getting Flo onto The Eye! She had a fantastic time. We all did.

After that, we took the train to Kingston Upon Thames, did a little shopping for the things that Dad and Flo wanted to take home, and then had a brief stop at the pub for a pint. Tonight, we're having leftovers to try and clear-out the 'fridge before we all leave for home this weekend. It has been a busy week but one that we will always have fond memories of!

Wherever you are today, I hope you'll give something a try that you think you won't like. I hope it is a pleasant experience!

Don Bergquist - 04 August 2006 - Thames Ditton, Surrey, UK

Editor's Note:
Please follow the link above. For some reason, Blogger.com would not allow me to insert the pictures from this entry directly on the blog so you will have to look at them on Shutterfly. Please forgive the inconvenience.

Thanks!

djb