What a Turn Off...

8:15 p.m. I walk out of Westminster station. Rumour has it the London Eye will 'close' at 8:30 p.m. for Earth Hour. It's cold and those fifteen minutes seem to last forever. Big Ben shines proudly.

The London Eye and the County Hall also glimmer in an array of colors. A party boat floats by.


8:30 p.m. Big Ben strikes once, then is muffled and dissolves into the darkness. Lights off.

The London Eye still shines, shines on...

8:45 p.m. The Eye finally 'shuts', only to me it didn't seem like a proper switch off... By then I had already started walking towards Trafalgar and took a shot of the Eye from a different angle.


8:50 p.m. I reach Trafalgar. General Nelson peers from the top of a dark, dark column. I hope he can still see the sea...


9:00 p.m. After my disappointment at the partial switch off at the London Eye, there was only one other landmark whose turn off would have made up for that. And it did. The one place, so iconic with its flashy lights and moving signs... now looked dull and dark. It was the first time I had seen Piccadilly that dark and empty. One would almost think that the Piccadilly lights attract people like moths :) No lights, no crowds.


The following half hour of Earth Hour I spent walking around a bit more, had dinner, and went back home at 10:30p.m. All lights are back on, and someone's having a really loud party - blasting 'Thriller' and singing along! Makes me wanna dance again! Woohoo!