CHAPTER 48
— THE LONDON EYE, also known as the Millennium Wheel — started the event responsible for the event that had only twelve people inside the cabin — , is an observation Ferris wheel , was inaugurated in the passage between December 31, 1999 and January 1, 2000 and is one of the most popular tourist attractions. disputed in the city. Since 2006, the Ferris wheel is no longer the largest in the world, after the inauguration of the Star of Nanchang , located in the city of Nanchang, China . Currently, the largest Ferris wheel in the world is the 167— meter— tall High Roller, located in Las Vegas, United States.
— Americans like to think they have things bigger than we do, don't they? — Erick said in the characteristic humor that everyone knew.
— They may have a bigger Ferris wheel, but we have the best known in the world.
Eric raised the glass in his honor.
— The important thing is not the size, but knowing how to use it — he said with a wink at the event guide.
— The London Eye is considered as a unique tourist spot in London — she continued, trying to continue one of her functions at that event — This not only because of the boldness of its project, but also the difficulties that accompanied it from when it was conceived until its Opening. The idea behind London Eye dates back to the early 1990s .
— At that time, — said Norman Finegan, the meeting's philanthropist, — in view of the approaching new millennium, several projects were presented to mark this passage. In London, The Sunday Times newspaper, together with the Architecture Foundation, decided to start a competition to choose a project for a new structure in the city. Architects David Marks and Julia Barfield came up with the idea of creating a big Ferris wheel, but it would not be an ordinary Ferris wheel, it would allow a view of all of London, within a radius of 40 kilometers away. Instead of simple gondolas, as in conventional Ferris wheels, there would be large cabins attached to the wheel, with large glass windows. The cabins would move according to rotation, always leaving the visitor in an upright position.
— In fact, it was a very innovative project, unlike anything that had been built in the city since then.
Norman nodded.
— Was it really necessary to have a huge structure right in the middle of London? — Did everyone care so much about the new millennium that it was even necessary to create a new tourist spot? Regardless of these ideas, the Sunday Times ignored the submitted suggestions and ended the competition.
— But David and Julia didn't abandon their idea. They decided to create the Marks Barfield company, carrying on the project with their own money. Even the London tabloid Evening Standard decided to give it a boost, advertising it looking for partners to fund the plan. When everyone already thought that nothing was going to work out, that all the work had been in vain, British Airways appears. In a partnership with Marks Barfield, they decide to pay for the construction of the British Airways London Eye.
— The approval had already been given, and the place chosen for the London Eye would be the south bank of the Thames , very close to Parliament . The Lambeth District allowed it to stay, on the condition that it be dismantled five years later, but the problem was how it would get there.
— Considering that the streets of London are too narrow and it would be impossible to move a Ferris wheel 135 meters in diameter upstream, it was decided that it would be built on the Thames itself and then suspended. All the material used would come by ferries.
— Despite being a London icon, very little of the London Eye is indeed English.
— Yes, the wheel parts were made in Holland , the cabins are from the Alps French , and the windows were produced in Venice . All the material went up the river until it reached the place where the wheel would be mounted. By September 1999 , she was ready, and then the 16 — hour work would begin to lift the 1,700 — tonne London Eye.
— But against all expectations, a cable snapped. The new millennium was approaching and the media was already calling the project the Wheel of Misfortune. It took a month and ten days until she was "on her feet". The cabins arrived soon after, and after sixteen months of work, the opening was scheduled for December 31, 1999 and has been here ever since.
— Everything was already prepared, the opening of the London Eye would take place on New Year's Eve, with the presence of the Prime Minister Tony Blair , but no one could have guessed that one of the cabins would not pass a safety test. It would be another month before the public could enjoy the — flight —, as British Airways calls the ride.
— That didn't stop the wheel from turning without passengers. In the last minutes of 1999, Tony Blair pressed a button, a Concorde flew over London and fireworks went off. The new millennium had arrived, and with it the London Eye. On the first day of February 2000 , the public finally had a chance to enter the London Eye. The weather was essentially British, with a lot of fog, but that didn't stop Londoners from experiencing their new tourist spot. London's newest Ferris wheel proved to be an immediate success.
— Ironically, another project for the new millennium that had been largely supported by the government, the Millennium Dome , was not a success. The same was purchased by the mobile operator O2 in 2005, which created a space for concerts with a capacity of 22,000 people.
— The London Eye entered the Guinness Book as the largest Ferris wheel in the world. When it was built in 1999, the 135 "meter" tall wheel was the tallest in the world. In 2019 it occupies the fourth place, surpassed by the Star of Nanchang with 158 meters, built in 2006 in China. In 2008, the Singapore Flyer , 165 meters high, was born, and finally, in 2014, the tallest Ferris wheel in the world was inaugurated: the High Roller , in Las Vegas , at 168 meters high.
Erick smiled and hugged the guide.
— I loved everything they said, but that's not why they called me here, is it?
Norman smiled and raised his glass.
— Just choose one of the girls and start the party.
— I've already chosen mine.
He took out his cell phone and quickly saw something.
The guide smiled and bent down. He unzipped his pants and his cock was already fully erect.
— This is a real party.
It was then that they began to feel a worrying change in the stability of the cabin.
— What is happening?
Erick looked down and saw the last thing he would have imagined seeing that night.
— Gentlemen… I don't want to be the bearer of bad news, but a cabin just exploded down there.