We’d been living in London for nearly 18-months when Risa’s parents came to visit. We’ve both seen the London Eye, up close and from a far, but had never made any attempts to ride it, mostly because the £22 ticket price felt like gouging tourists for money. I’ve never caught the one in Brisbane for the same exact reason!

Well, now we were accompanying some tourists in London, and sure enough, it was time to cough up and pay for tickets to ride the wheel – thankfully I can get partially discounted tickets from work, reducing the pain ever so slightly.

We joined the small queue, and we were shuffling into the moving capsule within 30-minutes. I’d never thought about the logistics of getting in, since the wheel never stops turning, but it was a fun little process – and you really wanted to mind the gap here.

Inside it wasn’t too crowded, which was appreciated. We had enough space to walk around and get a good view from any and all angles. Sadly, being the evening, it was hard to make out too many of London’s landmarks.

My favourite modern building in London, The Shard, shines bright and proud, as do the other buildings around Liverpool Street station and are quite easy to spot. I’d love to do it again on a clear day – but not so much that I’d pay another £20 for a ticket.

But, the major attraction is undoubtedly the Palace of Westminster/Big Ben, of which there are fantastic views of that building from the slowly moving capsule! And speaking of, it’s actually quite amazing how slow the wheel/capsule does move. It’s not perceptible – you suddenly realise that you have a slightly altered outlook.

The Coca-Cola London Eye (as it’s formally known) is a great novelty for tourists – just a shame about the cost of entry…