The London 2012 Olympics have finally arrived after years of preparation. It's been highly anticipated with mixed emotions on the part of the local population in London and other areas of Great Britain - some have been negative and say that it's too costly and too much disruption and others that are so excited for the events that will bring world-recognition to their city. I fall into the latter category and feel privileged to be living here during this historic time.
The amount of preparation for such an undertaking is mind-boggling. Everywhere I walk, I see signs that a world-wide event is imminent.
One of the cool things about these Olympics and being in London is that many of the events are taking place right in the city so no ticket is necessary to be a part of the build-up and excitement. Here, the street alongside Harrods (Brompton Road) will be used for some event - maybe cycling or running.
The lead-up to the actual opening of the Olympics is almost as exciting as the events themselves. The Olympic torch has been traveling around the world and has finally arrived in London.
We researched the route of the torch and, after much deliberation, a group of us decided to park ourselves alongside the Royal Chelsea Hospital, where the "Men in Scarlet" call their home. The Royal Chelsea Hospital was founded in 1682 by King Charles II to provide soldiers with a home in their retirement. They were out in their iconic uniforms to support one of their own who was about to arrive carrying the torch. To this day, the Hospital is run in almost the same way with one very apparent exception....
and that is in March 2009, they began accepting women! I believe there are 2 or 3 of them living there now.
And here he is..... Chelsea Pensioner James Anderson running with the Olympic Torch in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea. This was on July 26th - the day before the Opening Ceremonies was to take place.
And now....do I hear a drum roll?....an event that I have been looking forward to ever since we got lucky in the lottery and were able to purchase tickets to the Opening Ceremonies.
For weeks beforehand, we discussed our plans for the big day at Olympic Stadium - what time to leave, how to get there, what to wear, what to bring...the list goes on. In the end, we got there with ease on the London Underground, had an early dinner near the stadium, went through security where there were virtually no lines and were in our seats by 7:15 p.m.
The atmosphere around Olympic Park was electric and we saw all sorts of revelers.
Half the fun is people watching at an event like this and
fans like these weren't shy about having their pictures taken.
There's nothing quite like an event like this to bring people together from all over the world showing pride in their heritage.
These must be Americans! - our friends, Mike and Debi Kirksey and Rex and I.
The clouds look a little ominous in the background but, in the end, it only sprinkled for a few minutes during the pre-show.
The whole venue was spectacular and extremely well organized with
friendly, knowledgable ambassadors ready to help guide us and
even entertainment along the way.
Wildflowers planted outside the stadium brought some color to the grey skies
and the world's largest McDonald's sits just beside Olympic Park. I'm sure they will sell a few hamburgers and fries over the next couple of weeks.
A view of the stadium before the festivities started - the calm before the storm!
The Olympic Bell was rung by British cyclist, Bradley Wiggins, who had just won the Tour de France to mark the beginning of the ceremonies.
There were so many dazzling parts to the show, it was almost hard to take it all in.
Lights, flames, fireworks, music, dancing...
all wove part of a tale about Britain's coming of age.
Little Mary Poppins floating down into the stadium.
This "house" represented British music and television and it's pop stars over the years.
All of this pageantry lead up to the real reason we were all there....
to welcome and celebrate the greatest of the world's athletes in a two-week long competition of the Summer Olympics that takes place once every four years.
The countries' participants marched out proudly in beautifully-colored uniforms and
it was a proud moment for us when the American athletes made quite a presence looking sharp in their blue and white.
After the athletes were all assembled, the fireworks show began
and continued on and on and on....it was spectacular.
There was so much anticipation and we weren't disappointed.
When finally the Olympic Cauldron was lit, signifying the official beginning of the Games, the show had mesmerized us for 3 and a half hours and the time seemed to fly by. We made it back home on a natural high that night and crashed into bed at 2:30 a.m.
As I write this, the Games have been going on for days and will be ending soon with the Closing Ceremonies on Sunday. I can't say enough what an amazing day this was for me - one that I will always remember and be thankful for.
