+ the view of the London 2012 Olympic Torch relay passing through my hometown … from work.
I tried to feel part of the action by letting my family know where the torch was and when it was coming up to them. But when I sent this message,
“It’s turning the corner so you should be able to see it … now!”
I got this reply,
“Your internet must be delayed. It went past already.”
Bummer
Yesterday morning, the London 2012 Olympic torch brought it’s travelling circus to the place I grew up and still live, Kingston-upon-Thames. It went right past the end of our road, so here is the experience of a neighbour:
“I thought it was fun. We stood around for ages then some people gave some free stuff out. They didn’t give it to me. I was expecting more free stuff to be honest. They gave us clappy things. Then they went away. We thought stuff was happening, but it wasn’t. They just went away. Buses kept going back and forth, playing music and stuff. The buses were probably better than the actual torch.
“Then … saw the torch. Everyone was like ‘oo, the torch.’ I was leaning forwards and the bus was coming so then a lady pulled me away. And then everyone went home.
“On the way home we were discussing how far away the torch relay would have to be for us not to go. We would have probably still gone if it were a couple of roads away, but no more.”
- Anonymous
As the London 2012 Olympic Games start today with the first game of the Women’s Football tournament, here is the stadium that will be hosting the final, Wembley & it’s iconic arch
Meeting the London 2012 Olympic Mascots around the capital:
So you finish work a little early, the sun is beaming outside and you are Olympic obsessed. It just seems too perfect that right outside is a small statue of Wenlock, one of the London 2012 Olympic mascots.
This particular statue, decorated to the title ‘Skyline’ in front of Tower Bridge, is the start of a small walking tour around this part of the river along which you can discover a whole series of differently painted mascots. Given that it incorporates the newly opened Swiss House, it would be rude not to give this a go.
There are 82 dotted around London in total - can you spot them all?
More photos to follow.
The London 2012 Olympic Stadium sitting under a dramatic sky
Anna (BRA) talks about her experience with the London 2012 Olympic Torch.
After dropping into the Tower of London, the London 2012 Olympic Torch Relay has entered into its final week and will spend the next 7 days touring every borough in London. Strangely, this journey starts pretty close to the Olympic Park.
At around lunch time, Phillips Idowu arrived in the Stratford City shopping mall and landed on a small podium outside one of the sponsors stores. It is obviously a bit of a marketing trap, with a series of sponsored clappers and a sponsored PA system blaring across the street, all with the intention to build hype. Hands up. I fell for it. It is hard not to. The ‘Chariots of Fire’ theme came on and the crowd was pumped. The torch and the flame were both a lot bigger than I was expecting, but just as sleekly designed as I had seen on the tele.
It was special to get caught up in it. Phillips, a local lad from Hackney, could even to be seen to be getting a little emotional himself. The whole thing was exciting and a bit of magic as Anna explains in this video.
I think I will try and see this burning symbol of the Olympic Games more than once this week!
