London, part 4

The London Eye

There's a lot more to see in London than just Big Ben and Parliament. One good place from which to see it is the London Eye, the giant observation wheel built along the Thames in 2000. While the trip on the Eye takes only 30 minutes, the line looked several hours long...and that was for people with tickets. The line to get tickets was inside the building at the base on the left, and it also looked several hours long. Best to book ahead!

Dali statue at the South Bank Centre

Next to the London Eye is the County Hall Gallery, currently exhibiting a collection of works by Salvador Dali. The admission price is steep and the lines are long. If you don't have a lot of time or money to spend on a single exhibition, there is also a collection of statues based on the works of Dali lining the South Bank Centre near the London Eye.

St. Paul's Cathedral

St. Paul's Cathedral is another impressive bit of architecture, but it was difficult to get a good picture as the bus zipped along.

The Monument

This 205-ft. tall column is a monument to the Great Fire which destoyed much of London in 1666.

Tower Bridge and the H.M.S. Belfast

This is what a lot of people think of when they hear "London Bridge". London Bridge is, in fact, much less fancy - it's the bridge we were on when I took this picture! On the right you can see the H.M.S. Belfast, painted in that funky ship camouflage pattern designed to break up the ship's outline and create confusion as to direction of travel. The camouflage isn't fooling anyone anymore as it sits docked on the South Bank of the Thames, serving as a floating naval museum.

Keep in mind that everything I've described so far in London happened in a single day - and that day wasn't quite over yet. And we still had another whole day to our visit!