View from the top

It has always been a primordial human ambition to fly and feel like a bird and behold the sight of the spectacular creations from the top. A window seat after a tiring business trip does bring smile to your face when you look at the towering scrappers turning into midget structures as you soar up. But what if you want to hold that view for a longer time, enjoy it together with your loved ones, hold a drink and sway with the soothing breeze at a height, or capture it in a photo frame with your near ones at a cost that is not bearing down on your pockets. To enrich this craving experience, engineers and architects across the world have created structures that provide you with these enthralling viewing experiences. Eiffel Tower, London Eye, Singapore Flyer, Burj Khalifa, The Dome, etc. are some of the iconic structures around the world that literally give you an over the top experience.

My gorgeous wife in front of Eiffel Tower

Eiffel Tower, Paris: The most iconic structure of the most romantic city in the world, Eiffel tower, Paris, can stimulate such unparalleled emotions that you will covet for them for years. Ascending the tower is one of the greatest thrills of Europe and once you make that eye-popping ascent and ear-popping descent, you will be in the exclusive society of some 250 million people who made the Eiffel tower one of the most visited monuments in the world. To get the best of all worlds, arrive close to sundown to marvel at the views, then stay as it gets dark to see the lights. At the top of the hour, a five-minute display features thousands of sparkling lights lassoing the tower. However impressive it may be by day, the tower is a spectacle to behold at twilight, when darkness fully envelops the city, and the tower is enveloped by its spectacular light show. Enjoying a glass of rose or white Champagne at the ‘Champagne Bar’ at the top of the tower and enjoying the sight of the medieval architectural marvels built along the beautiful river Seine is a truly mesmerizing experience.

London Eye: A gigantic hi-tech bicycle wheel perched on the south bank of river Thames has slowly become an integral part of the historically rich, heritage city of London. Even though this 135 m high ring of steel and glass is a testament to Britain’s contradictory relationship to its own tradition, as it sits right next to world heritage sites making no concession to either the precious statues, stonework and spires around it or the brutalist concrete of the south bank, it does provide a light and transparent contrast to the entire surroundings. There's something else about the Eye, other than its being a delightful thing to look at - a surreal, kinetic sculpture, a universal expression of geometric purity, a continuation of Britain's engineering heritage, even a feminine counterbalance to the phallic urban skyline - that warms us to it. It's the fact that it does something. It is not there just to be looked at. It's also there to be looked from. The Eye provides to locals and visitors a panoramic view of the city's limits and the countryside beyond. Words fall short in describing the view itself, but it puts the whole city in perspective and gives you the power to take it in at a glance. A view of the Palace of Westminster, Whitehall, Downing Street, Tower of London etc. are some vistas to cherish for.

Singapore Flyer: This 165-meter high flyer is Singapore’s answer to London Eye, a kind of thing you’d build if you were a small island with a reputation for thinking big – project designed to be the largest of its kind. The flyer is mounted with 28 air-conditioned capsules, each the size of a bus with a capacity of 28 riders at a time. With a 30-minute vibration-free ride, the flyer provides an incredible unobstructed 360◦ view of the downtown structures of Singapore’s Marina bay as well as glimpses of neighboring countries Indonesia and Malaysia.

The Dome, Bangkok: Imagine an artistically curated scrumptious Mediterranean and South Asian cuisine, a view of the glittering skyline along Chao Pharya River, breeze and a gentle sway atop one of the tallest towers of South East Asia. The Dome Restaurant, State Tower, Bangkok gives you an unparalleled gastronomic experience atop the tallest tower of Bangkok. The sense of 'having arrived' at this iconic Bangkok rooftop restaurant begins with the ascent to the 63rd floor and the walk down the exquisitely  lit staircase, with the city view in Bangkok below and the soothing strains of the jazz band resonating through the warm breeze. To your right, perched on a precipice overlooking the city, the celebrated vertigo-inducing Sky Bar. For an incomparably romantic repast with riverside dining or an unforgettable family get-together, cocktails at Sky Bar followed by dinner at The Sirocco Restaurant is surely going to give you an unforgettable experience.