The London 2012 Olympics may be over, but I'll always have memories because I was there! Sports! Medals! Excitement! Rain...
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| Yellow is my colour. Not! |
I got drenched, But I didn't care about the rain. In retrospect, it added to the adventure of the day. It's England, after all, what would the day be without rain? I couldn't help chuckling at the tourists who showed up in shorts and flip flops, thinking it was going to be a warm, sunny day. They've obviously never experienced British weather! Welcome to England!
Despite the weather, it was a spectacular day. It was very, very crowded but there was a real buzz in the air. Everyone was there to support their country -- there were Americans wearing flags like capes, Brazilians with green and yellow hair, and even a man in a head-to-toe Union Jack outfit. All the volunteers were friendly and helpful and nothing was too much trouble. They took photos for people and the occasional volunteer raised a hand for a quick High 5 from the crowd. Smiles and laughter all around!
This was the pitch at the Riverbank Arena where I saw 2 hockey games. It's been called Smurf Turf. I could deal with the blue pitch because it made it easier to see the yellow ball. But the neon pink border against the blue was jarring to my eyes. I mean, look at it! It was like watching a Smurf with a bad sunburn. They could've toned it down a little!
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| Smurf Turf |
Many thanks to my friend Justin who had a spare ticket for the games. I'd never seen a field hockey game until then. Luckily he very patiently explained the rules to me as the games were played. I can't actually remember anything he told me (I was blinded by the pitch. Yeah, that's it!) But that didn't stop me from enjoying the games. We saw China vs. South Korea and then Argentina vs. South Africa. China and Argentina were the winners. The crowd was very enthusiastic even though their countries weren't playing. Although there were some very jubilent Argentinians in the crowd for the second game.
When our games were over we spent time exploring the Olympic Park. After seeing it on TV, being there in person was a big thrill! The Orbit, that funny sculpture that looks like a wacky roller-coaster, was quite impressive up close.
The various sports venues were situated so that they were easily accessible by foot yet not crammed together. There was a giant TV screen where we sat and watched other events -- we saw Team GB swimmer Rebecca Adlington win a bronze medal in the 400m freestyle event after storming into 3rd place in the last few seconds. And congrats to the USA who got silver in that event. Being an expat means I get to celebrate the successes of 2 countries!
At least we know that the rain was good for the beautiful wildflower meadows around the park. I love how they added a touch of the English countryside.
All in all there was real excitement in the air, and I'm sorry that the day flew by so quickly. It was a day I'll never forget, and it was worth every raindrop!
