Two Major London Attractions

Today I decided to share my thoughts on two major attractions that Jilly and I visited during our London adventure. 

First up is the London Eye situated along the Thames river.  I have actually 'flown' the Eye 3 or 4 times now - mostly when we've shown relatives or friends around London but this was Jilly's first flight so it was exciting to share in that with her.

We were already excited but even more so when we got our first glimpse of the Eye, especially Jilly!  She positively squealed with delight and kept saying she felt just like a kid discovering everything for the first time.  By the second day I had somehow picked up the phrase 'boy you really are like the country mouse aren't you Jilly!' which thankfully she didn't mind one bit.  She is 'right Suffolk' and I adore that about her.

I also love this shot crowded in by the statue, the lamp post and even the trees and buildings - a less common aspect of the London Eye than most shots I grant you but it appeals to me.

But as you walk along Embankment you get plenty of opportunities to get good shots of the entire structure adding a very real sense of the sheer scale of the Eye.

There are also opportunities to view the Eye from amazing bridges too - again London has an ecclectic mix of old and new structures to admire and explore.  The railway ran along side this one on a much older railway bridge (to left of photo) which brought old and new together and you could stand on this modern bridge and see trains travelling along the other.

This is the type of scene you get once you're on the Eye looking at the neighbouring pods which you glimpse for only a short while as you go up and then again briefly as you come back down.

And these are the views you can expect from inside the pod looking out at various landmarks such as the Houses of Parliament & Big Ben.

See the bridges and trains going in and out of the (domed roof) station? And if you look close enough you can just about make out a dot here and there which are the people on the bridge.  Looking at London from the Eye gives you a bird's eye view but it also gives you an idea of the sheer scale of the city - as far as the eye (Eye) can see! LOL

But of course I like to take shots of the structure as much as the view and I have soooooo many shots like this to prove it believe me.  But then I find them interesting so why not?

We purchased our tickets via reception where we stayed and got a better than on line deal so we paid around £16.50 each.  We might've been able to shop around more but we were pretty happy with that price.  It was money well spent although I'm sure when I first did the Eye it took about 45 minutes to get round and moved much slower.  I remember you had to look really closely to see it moving.  Now it took 35 minutes and it was easy to see you were moving all the while but still very much worth a visit nonetheless.  Maybe they think the 4D experience they invite you to watch first makes up for this - who knows?

The second attraction however is a different story.  I had been to Madame Tussaud's 'donkey's years' ago but had never been back.  I'm almost sorry I did!  It was my choice for us to go and if I hadn't gotten us in for £9.50 each - thanks mostly to Tesco voucher deals - I would have felt completely and utterly ripped off!

This is the building itself, easy enough to find and each time I have been to London I have said I'd like to go back and visit.  Well I have and I can't say I can recommend you visit this one.  I won't be bothering again I'm afraid.

The very beginning and end were probably the only saving grace for this attraction.  The first that we didn't have to queue for very long at all.  I had expected the exact opposite so was pleasantly surprised.  Unfortunately once inside we felt herded like cattle and when we entered the first room we had no idea what was even going on.  In fact because of the sheer scale of the crowds, it took Jilly and I several minutes to actually work it out, finally realising there were wax figures dotted in amongst the crowd! 

Everyone was jostling and pushing and shoving for 'pole position' and as soon as someone had a photo taken there were several people ready to jump right in next.  It was way too much like hard work, way too cramped, poor ol' Jilly got her feet stepped on far too often and generally very dissappointing.  There were far too many 'set up' photo opportunities where you had to purchase photographs.  Although in their defence staff were happy to take them with your own cameras as well. 

Thank goodness we hadn't paid the full £25 entry fee is all I can say!

Jilly was very selective in who she chose to pose with but was keen too pose with Shrek and Lady GaGa would you believe?  - how funny is she!

To our surprise the Marvel 4D Super Hero experience was added to our tickets free of charge and this turned out to be the second saving grace factor.  It was right at the end and I again had complaints about being herded like cattle and left standing 'body to body' for what seemed like ages in a darker room, children crying, people sweating with the sheer body heat before finally being allowed into the theatre but it was the best part of the entire experience.

Jilly and I sat in the very back few seats rather than fight to the front - in truth, utterly relieved to get off our aching feet, so we were off to a good start there - and then we screamed, gasped, squealed and giggled our way through the entire show!  It was full of unexpected surprises like 'micro jets of air or water at just the right moment, interactive seats that made you jump out of your skin at times and felt like a theme park ride all from the comfort of your chair!  I HATE theme park rides generally so this was my kinda ride!

That part of it we would both happily repeat but it's unlikely we will revisit Madame Tussaud's I'm afraid.  Still you don't know these things until you try huh?  My parting verdict on MT is that it's a rip off and not worth the effort but that's just my opinion.  It in no way spoilt our adventure and that's what's really important.

Enjoy!

Suezie