Olympics in London!

Our Olympic journey began with a 7:19 pm flight from Cedar Rapids to Chicago, then an eight hour flight to Heathrow airport in London.  Coaching friend Mike and his son James picked us up at the airport at 11:15 am (London time - 5:15 am Iowa time).  During the Olympics we are staying at Mike's flat.  We are a 45-50 train ride into London.

Thursday:  DAY 1 - Main Event:  Men's Basketball

Welcome in the airport

We settled in at Mike's for a few hours which included showers and naps.  Then we were off!

Eating chicken kabobs as we wait for the train

Riding the rails!

Also riding the "tube"
long escalators to get underground

You know you're in London when you see
the red double-decker buses.

The basketball arena at the Olympic Park
Later games will be played at the O 2

USA fans!

USA 156 - Nigeria 73.
 USA's score was a record setting score.  Fun game to cheer the USA on!

Friday:  Day 2 - Main Event:  Women's Volleyball

We slept in late as we didn't get back until after 2 am last night!  We have a volleyball ticket today but not for USA.  When you buy the tickets so far in advance you never know who will be playing.  The first game we watched Korea vs Turkey, then Great Britain vs Dominic Republic.  GB wasn't any good but the fans were out in force.  We took a train to Wimbledon then the tube to Earl's Court.

Grabbing lunch outside the Earl's Court tube

The VB arena

Fish and chips at the Walker Taylor Pub
in Earl's Court after VB

The Pub

Catching the train back to Hampton.

Saturday:  Day 3 - Main Event: Athletics (we in the USA call it track and field)

             Second Event:  Men's Basketball - but not the USA game :(

Entry into the Olympic Park
ticket for the 10 am session of Athletics

Track events are held at the Olympic Stadium
which is the where the opening ceremonies were held.

Don with his "athletic" ticket

We sat on the 4th row!
Cloudy and a few sprinkles early, then hot sun in the afternoon

Great session to be at - men's 100m and 400 m prelims

women's steeple race
also saw long jump and javelin throw for the heptathlon

women's pole vault prelims

chicken and mushroom pie for lunch!

We headed back via the train to Hampton after the track events were done for our session.  I'm sending James back with Don into London for the evening basketball games.  Great Britain plays the 8 pm game vs Australia and James will appreciate it more than I will!  The second bb game won't start until 10:00 so it will be really late when they get back.  They plan to catch the last train out this way from London at 1:05!  I'll be long asleep by the time they get back.

Sunday:  Day 4 - Main Event:  Athletics (Track and Field)
        Other Event:  Attend USA Men's Basketball Practice

Don got permission to attend practice and James joined us taking the trains to the University of East London where they were "training."  We had to wait in a security area for a USA person to come ok us to get on campus then again before entering the gym.

Waiting to get cleared to get on campus for the practice.
I asked if we could get a photo with the "Bobbies'.
He asked if I wanted the handcuffs on - of course!

James and Don in the waiting area.

USA Men's Basketball Team at practice

Coach K talking to Williams after practice

LeBron James!

Super night at "Athletics"
    Men's 100m finals!  Bolt set an Olympic Record!
    Men's steeplechase
   Women's 400m hurdle prelims
    Women's 400m finals
   Men's high jump
   Men's 1500 finals

The big arena board stated the weather conditions as "British"

Actually it was wonderful weather the whole evening!

Pocket potatoes for supper at the stadium

Women's 400m hurdles

The BIG event - Men's 100m final!

Bolt from Jamacia with an Olympic Record!

80,000 Olympic fans head out of the arena to catch a train or tube.  They've handled the crowds well here.  From the Olympic Park we take the tube to the Waterloo station and the train to Hampton.  Great day!

Monday:  Day 5 - Main Event:  USA men's basketball vs. Argentina
     Second event:  Great Britain men's bb - won the first time in Olympics since 1948

English breakfast in Surbiton

Flower shop across the street

Surbiton - one of the towns that we use the train station

Olympic Park tube station 

The Orbit (on the left) and the Olympic Stadium

Time for lunch in the Olympic Park

The "mattress" as the basketball stadium has been called.

USA men team vs. Argentina

The Olympic Stadium lit at night.  They change it's colors.
We left the Olympic Park about 12:30, caught the tube,
then the 1:05 am train to Surbiton!  Back at 2 am

Tuesday:  Day 6 - Main Events:  Gymnastics in the afternoon
              Track & Field in the evening

Gymnastics at the O 2

Breakfast/lunch at the O 2

Finals of the beam - Gabby didn't do well

Ali earned a bronze on the beam

Our view from the suite.  It was wonderful!!

Ali got a GOLD on the floor exercise.

Don in the suite.
We also saw the men's finals in parallel and horizontal bars.

The Olympic spirit!
outfits, flags, whatever!

Inside the Olympic stadium
Row 6 - perfect location tonight!
Sprinkled/almost rained several times, but not a problem

Prelims and then finals of women's 110m hurdles
USA got silver and bronze
Also saw women's 200m semifinals

Finals of men's 1500
Also saw finals of men's high jump - USA silver

James and Mike Vear with Don

Wednesday:  Day 7 - Main Event:  Men's Basketball

Don had a meeting with USA basketball people so
we headed to their hotel.  We love this fruit & vegetable
stand on the way to the hotel.  Red raspberries - yum.

Don after clearing security to go to the
men's basketball game at the O 2

Inside the O 2 - 26 restaurants & bars plus the arena

USA vs Australia

USA wins which puts them in the semifinals!

Thursday: Day 8 - Gymnastics and USA women's basketball

We missed the :51 train so walked down the street to
get fruits/snacks for breakfast.
Next train was at 11:21.  

Breakfast on the train platform
Trains from Hampton at 21  and 51 past the hour.
Then about 40-45 minutes into London Waterloo station.

Wembley Arena where they play soccer is right beside
the Wembley Arena where we went to for rhythmic gymnastics .

We saw the rotation that included ball and hoops today.

Was very interesting!

Don with his USA flag beside the phone booth.

USA women vs Australia.
Women now into gold medal game!

2nd night to eat at Gaucho's in the O 2.
Delicious steaks

Dessert - apple pancake!

Leaving the O 2 for the evening

We took a boat from the O 2 to Waterloo station instead
of the tube tonight.  View of the O 2 arena

Approaching Tower Bridge

Note the Olympic rings hanging on the bridge.
Our boat went under the bridge.

We docked at the London Eye!

Big Ben and the House of Parliament as viewed from the boat.

The London Eye - a huge ferris wheel.
We made reservation to do this next Tuesday.

Friday: Day 9 - USA Men's Basketball and rhythmic gymnastics

I realize that I am two days behind in blogging.  We don't get back usually until well after midnight - usually 2 am!  And some mornings we are off again by 8 or 9!

On our way to the gymnastics at Wembley Arena again

Today's rotations were clubs and ribbons

This rotation of group gymnastics involves 5 women
3 ribbons and 2 hoops.  It was very fun to watch.

We ate at Rodizio Rico's at the O 2 between men's basketball games.
They bring the meat on skewers and you take slices off it.
All you can eat!!

USA vs Argentina

USA won and sends them to the Gold Medal game Sunday!

Saturday:  Day 10 - Men's High Platform Diving
                                 Track and Field

Mike's flat where we are staying during the Olympics.
It's a 40 - 50 minute train ride into London from here.

Entering Olympic Park

Aquatic Center
We have tickets for the 10m (high) platform diving

To the left side was the swimming pool where Phelps
swam to lots of medals

A diver ready to dive

View down into the diving pool

Our view from our picnic spot - the Orbit and the
Olympic Stadium ( track/field, opening, closing ceremonies)

Lunch on the lawn at the Olympic Park
We also had good naps here as we had several hours to spare!

My English roast rib of beef sandwich

Waffle dessert with whipped cream and strawberries!

This was the last night for "Athletics" so everything that we saw was a final.  The weather on the board was "epic" which I guess means really good.  We saw these women's events:  high jump, 800 meter, 4 x 400 (GOLD for USA).  Men's events:  javelin, 5000m,  4 x 100 (silver)

Men's 5000
Great Britain guy won and the stadium was LOUD!

Women's High Jump.  USA got silver

Women's 800 - 

Last event of the night - men's 4 x 100
Bolt lining up for Jamaica who won the 100 and 200 earlier

Jamaica set a new world record in the 4 x 100
USA finished 2nd for a silver and equaled the old world record.

Sunday: Day 11 - Men's bronze medal game and GOLD medal game (Go USA)
            Closing Ceremonies

We took the Thames Clipper (river boat) to get to
the O 2 for the bronze medal game that started at 11:00

Big Ben and the House of Parliament behind the Thames Clipper

We saw the Tower of London from the clipper.

And under the Tower Bridge!

Bronze medal game - Russia beat Argentina by a few points.  It was an exciting game.  After that game we ate at Gaucho's again!  The steak is delicious!

3:00 Gold Medal Game
USA vs Spain

USA 107 - Spain 100
Exciting and too close!

TEAM USA with flags after winning

The medal ceremony

It is now 2:45 am and I'm off to bed.  I'll post photos on the absolutely fabulous closing ceremony soon, but not tonight. After leaving the Olympic Park for the last time we journeyed on the tube and then caught the 1:05 am train to Surbiton, then a taxi to get back to Hampton.  Tomorrow (Monday) we move to a Marriott in London and start the sight seeing part of this trip.


CLOSING CEREMONIES

The flags of all the participating nations marched into the center.

The athletes coming in around the outsides.

The athletes filled in each triangle.

Music and light show!

Each stadium seat had a strobe light attached and the evening
was full of fabulous light shows to the music.

The Spice Girls arrive in cabs!

The torch as it was let down and extinguished.

We had a great view of the torch.

This sums up the whole evening - WOW!!!

Back on the train to Mike's flat after 11 days of the Olympics in London 2012!
Don is sitting beside a volunteer.  They were all dressed in these uniforms
and there were hundreds of them around each venue.  They were great

London 2012 was a once-in-a-lifetime experience!  We enjoyed the events, the people, the traveling (trains, tube, clipper), and the venues.  London did a great job with this Olympics.