I have been considering my Olympics posts now for quite some time. In part my delay is a result of wanting them to appropriately capture the vibe of it all and conversely because I simply have been spending my spare time catching up on all the events on bbc.co.uk instead !My Olympic buzz has been a slow burn. I am not traditionally a huge sports fan on the regular, but I have always been into the Olympics, especially women's gymnastics. It started to flicker when the torch relay passed within blocks of my flat, sprinted into a crescendo when I was surprisingly offered last minute tickets to watch the dress rehearsal of the opening ceremony, and may have hit pinnacle as I sat in box seats at the women's gymnastics team finals. (woot!)
The city is buzzing! Most Londoners are either gone or not leaving the house, so as you cruise the streets or ride the tubes you most often are surrounded by excited visitors, Olympic volunteers in full costume, and if you're lucky a genuine athlete wearing their medal! Its actually quite pleasing.
Many of the countries are hosting "houses" where they welcome visitors to express their local culture, food, and drink, so the city is donning flags from all around the world. Regents Street is decked out with all the International banners on display ... the Olympic rings adorn Tower Bridge ... there is an overall sense of excitement and comradery among the people from all around the world.
I mentioned it a bit, but a few key events have donned my experience so far:
Olympic torch relay ... criss-crossed England, then the city of London for days, passing within blocks of my flat. It was simple and under-stated, but accomplished what is was supposed to ... spreading the Olympic spirit throughout the land. Not sure who our chick was, but she was cute. (Those last few statements are a kind of metaphor for Britain in general.)
Actual torch holding myself ... my company is the official data sponsor of the Olympics. Thus, we had two torch holders and in the end a torch in our office for a couple hours for posing. Heavy, but not ... and a somewhat disappointing revelation that there are indeed thousands of Olympics torches each year. Hm.
Women's Gymnastics Team Finals ... the motherload. I did indeed buy these tickets outright as the one souvenir event I must attend. We arrived in style on the new "airline" cable car across the river. The seats were outstanding, and well, the USA whooped behind to secure gold in case you haven't seen it already. Homemade T-shirts! USA! USA! USA!
Beach Volleyball in front of Buckhingham Palace ... seriously. A surprise gift from a friend - front row tickets to both a men's and women's event. And to boot, it was actually Brazilian Women ... and they had DJs and dancers! Fun! Fun! Fun!
Since then I have been keeping up online, especially with gymnastics, diving, swimming, and track in between, taking advantage of wondering town when the opportunity arises. So hard to believe the closing ceremony is already this weekend. I did manage to get a hold of some free tickets to the park nearby that will be airing the ceremony on big screens (although temptingly the tickets are on sale for £1500 each on the london2012 website ... NOT!!)
And later that evening, basking in the aura of what I had just witnessed, again, a "what is that?" and it was indeed the fireworks going off over the Olympic Park in the distance. I live within walking distance of the arena.
It has been unreal so far ... literally unreal. As I was watching the opening ceremony on TV, I thought, "what is that?" and indeed out the window saw the fighter jets fly overhead coming straight from the stadium spritzing their red, white, and blue smoke.
And later that evening, basking in the aura of what I had just witnessed, again, a "what is that?" and it was indeed the fireworks going off over the Olympic Park in the distance. I live within walking distance of the arena.
I am sure that the surreality of it all will catch up with me in the future, but for now, I am going to keep cruising the streets looking for Phelps and Gaby, keeping an eye in the sky for Beckham's helicopter buzzing him to the next sport, and praying Pink Floyd closes the ceremony!!! Woo hooo!!! USA! USA! USA!
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