Over the Easter weekend, we decided to get out and do a few exciting things. We thought that taking Lara to visit London to enjoy the sunshine and the sights would be a perfect family treat. Thanks to Superbreak.com we took a ride on the London Eye so that we could see everything in one go (and to try and ensure that she doesn't inherit her father's fear of heights).
From where we live, we can get a train straight into London Waterloo station which is incredibly convenient for the Eye which is just a 5 minute walk away (make that 10 minutes with an out-of-control toddler). This means we don't often have to look for London hotels but, when we do, I tend to scour the internet for bargains on sites such as Superbreak.com.
Picking up our tickets was a lot easier than I remember from the last time I went in 2001 but there is no getting away from the fact that you spend longer queuing for the London Eye than you do riding round on it. We picked up our tickets from the collection point inside County Hall (this took about 5 minutes even though it was rammed). The ticket price included a visit to the 4D London Experience which we decided to skip because the weather was gorgeous and it seemed a shame to stay inside.
Instead, we headed outside and joined the queue for the ride which didn't seem too bad (the length had doubled by the time we left). We queued in the blazing sun for about 30 minutes (most of this time was spent with Lara squirming between our legs as the buggy had to be folded up when we joined the queue). The queue moved more quickly than I had expected because you get about 20 people in each pod.
When the pod arrived Lara looked at it in amazement. It was a bit of a rush to get into the pod with all the other people when carrying a buggy, toddler and changing bag because the pod doesn't stop – the wheel keeps on rotating.
From where we live, we can get a train straight into London Waterloo station which is incredibly convenient for the Eye which is just a 5 minute walk away (make that 10 minutes with an out-of-control toddler). This means we don't often have to look for London hotels but, when we do, I tend to scour the internet for bargains on sites such as Superbreak.com.
Picking up our tickets was a lot easier than I remember from the last time I went in 2001 but there is no getting away from the fact that you spend longer queuing for the London Eye than you do riding round on it. We picked up our tickets from the collection point inside County Hall (this took about 5 minutes even though it was rammed). The ticket price included a visit to the 4D London Experience which we decided to skip because the weather was gorgeous and it seemed a shame to stay inside.
Instead, we headed outside and joined the queue for the ride which didn't seem too bad (the length had doubled by the time we left). We queued in the blazing sun for about 30 minutes (most of this time was spent with Lara squirming between our legs as the buggy had to be folded up when we joined the queue). The queue moved more quickly than I had expected because you get about 20 people in each pod.
When the pod arrived Lara looked at it in amazement. It was a bit of a rush to get into the pod with all the other people when carrying a buggy, toddler and changing bag because the pod doesn't stop – the wheel keeps on rotating.
As soon as we were on the ride, Lara seemed fascinated and she loved holding onto the bars (which are at various different heights) and looking down on the people and boats below.
For myself and Mr. B. it was really interesting to look over the city and spot all of the sights we knew. Greater London seems really compact from above – I'd never thought of Buckingham Palace being close to Waterloo but from the air it looks like it is just over the river!
At the very top of the wheel the views were amazing and it felt like we were floating. There was no-one higher than us, no-one so privileged as us to survey the kingdom for that one short moment in time.
The ride was over all too quickly (I think it took us 30 minutes) and before we knew it we were back on the ground. The good thing was that we'd had a chance to look at the area around the London Eye and could see some of the local attractions and places to eat nearby!
I think Lara really enjoyed the experience (she liked waving to the people in the pod next to us) but would have preferred it if we hadn't had to queue for so long. For slightly older (more patient) children the experience would be made all the more fun by the fact that they would be able to search for all the famous London sights on the skyline.
For myself and Mr. B. it was really interesting to look over the city and spot all of the sights we knew. Greater London seems really compact from above – I'd never thought of Buckingham Palace being close to Waterloo but from the air it looks like it is just over the river!
At the very top of the wheel the views were amazing and it felt like we were floating. There was no-one higher than us, no-one so privileged as us to survey the kingdom for that one short moment in time.
The ride was over all too quickly (I think it took us 30 minutes) and before we knew it we were back on the ground. The good thing was that we'd had a chance to look at the area around the London Eye and could see some of the local attractions and places to eat nearby!
I think Lara really enjoyed the experience (she liked waving to the people in the pod next to us) but would have preferred it if we hadn't had to queue for so long. For slightly older (more patient) children the experience would be made all the more fun by the fact that they would be able to search for all the famous London sights on the skyline.
