LONDON: ATTRACTIONS

The London Eye

The British Airways London Eye carries 32 air-conditioned passenger capsules at a rate of 0.26 meters a second around its circumference, taking one whole revolution every 30 minutes to complete. This observation wheel is the largest and first of its type in the world, and opened late in 1999. In whole, it is 135 meters tall, weighs 1,700 tonnes, and is located on the south bank of the river Thames. The wheel does not usually stop to take on new passengers, as the speed at which it moves allows them to easily enter the capsule without it needed to stop to let them on. Queues can be long in the summer but the view of London from the top is absolutely breathtaking.

St. Paul's Cathedral

The Saxons constructed the first Christian church in London on the site where St. Paul's stands now. It burned down in AD675, and was constructed again ten years later, this version was then sacked by the Vikings in AD962. The second Saint Paul's was constructed in stone. The 3rd saint Paul's, was begun by the Normans, and took two hundred years to build, but much of it was lost in a fire in 1136. The roof was rebuilt, and it was completed 1314 after much enlargement. However, by the 16th century the building was falling to pieces. Sir Christopher Wren was given the task of designing a replacement in 1668, and it was competed in 1708, which was Wren's 76th birthday. This version of saint Paul's still stands today despite being hit by a bomb in the blitz of 1940. It is constructed of Portland stone, and the dome was inspired by the St. Peters at the Vatican. The survival of the Dome on London's skyline was crucial to British morale during the Blitz of World War Two. Churchill ordered the Dome protected at all costs. Fittingly Winston Churchill was buried here.

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