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The cable cars, however, are called gondolas rather than, say, ‘cockpits’ or ‘cabins’ — and once up in the air the whole of London unfolds. To the west there’s the City, with the Gherkin and the Shard, and the Eye peeping out from behind the skyscrapers of Canary Wharf.
Suddenly the O2 is under you as the Olympic Stadium looms larger and larger. Is London’s skyline as stunning as Manhattan’s or Hong Kong’s? I’d say not. But there’s something about its unfussiness, its higgledy-piggledyness, that endears.
The ride is not only for those who love planes and buildings. It’s also for those who like ports and boats. As you gaze downwards at the Docks, you get a sense of London as a true river city, with a naval heart. Boats, barges and ferries wend their way on the green water, tied to each other so that they travel in formation as little flotillas. The seagulls swoop up and down over the boats, below you.
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Also by Clarissa Tan
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