In the Eye...

We recovered this morning from our long day, which included school(!) and lasted until our arrival home about midnight after the play. Chris ran this morning before going to work, so the three of us enjoyed a rather leisurely morning. At least it was for those of us not going to work. Roger had taken the train in to work and planned to run home, yes run, and Chris thought she'd have to work late. We organized our things, did some laundry, and set off for an adventure that I (Maggie) was somewhat skeptical about: the London Eye.

That's the nickname for what is officially called The Millenium Wheel. It's a giant Ferris Wheel that was erected for the Millenium and was intended to be dismantled afterwards. Everybody thought it was too neat to give up, though, so it's still operating as one of the most popular tourist sites. I was nervous because I don't do heights, as some of you may know, but it really wasn't bad. Since you ride in an enclosed capsule it doesn't have the feel of being "out there." Once you're up near the top at about 500 feet above the river, you can see all of London. It was great to have an unobstructed view of things, and to be able to see where everything is in relation to everything else.

Afterwards, we walked across the Westminster Bridge and saw Parliament and Big Ben close up, as well as Westminster Abbey. A visit to the National Gallery was next where we saw an exhibit of Dutch portraits, including several Rembrandts. It seemed ironic to be seeing Dutch paintings in London since we're going to the Netherlands, but we might not have as much time to look around in the city next week.

After that, we walked (and walked...and walked) back to the train station and came home to decompress before our next big adventure: Paris. We'll be rising early tomorrow to take in the City of Light.