THIS POST HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH FOOD and a little to do the the Olympics
THIS POST HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH FOOD*
Not one little bit.
But it is about London. And the Olympics.
Woohoo for the Olympics!
You see, I haven’t been cooking as much as normal recently, I was overtaken with a fever. I became obsessed with the Olympics and Paralympics.
Now, I am not a sports fan. At least I wasn’t until recently. Sport for me was always something that I found isolating. I was always picked last for the team, I would run away from a football kicked in my direction, and generally I was much happier daydreaming or reading a book. But I tried.
The morph suit was a popular look at the games
When the Olympics and Paralympics were announced for London, my first thoughts weren’t joyous. I worried about all of those extra folks in London standing on the wrong side of the escalator or walking too slowly. We Londoners can’t deal with that you see.
Then as they approached and everyone talked about leaving, I decided to stop travelling and to stay. I thought that maybe the games would be a great time in London, and I should stay to find out. If it was awful I could just hide out at home.
I never expected to become a sports fan though.
The opening ceremony, watched crowded in front of a friends TV at his birthday party made me cry. I loved it. It was barking in the most appropriate way, it was sensitive and it was lovely.
Oasis of gentle quiet at the Olympic Park
I had been trying, and failing, to get tickets. They seemed so expensive, and I didn’t think that I would get to go. Then one day a follower said that their friend couldn’t go, and the tickets were reasonably priced. So I hopped on the train to Brighton to meet them. The next day I was at the Volleyball.
The Polish fans – amazing!
It was so exciting. Cheery gamesmakers all the way from the tube station signalling the way with giant foam hands. Bongo cam, cheerleaders (in London!) and SPORT.
I was surprised that I liked it. In fact, I loved it very much.
Dedicated Polish volleyball fans
Olympics Volleyball
The penny dropped as I watched. All these years I had thought that sport was really complicated and inaccessible. I found that I could follow it quite easily after all. And get excited about it.
I became obsessed.
The next day I went to the ladies handball and cheered while surrounded by Norwegians roaring their team on and waving cowbells. I saw the poor Brazilian team shed a tear when they lost.
Olympic Handball
The Norwegians won. And went crazy!
I went to watch the triathlon on the big screen in the British Airways Park Live at Olympic Park, sitting in the only available patch of what seemed like shredded bark. I didn’t care. I needed to see one of the Brownlee brothers (hopefully) win that race. They did. I was delighted.
Watching the triathlon at Park Live
Katie Taylor won the gold for Ireland! We were all so excited and tried to go to Irish Olympic House to cheer her on. We couldn’t get in but queued to go in later. I managed to snaffle some returns for the Modern Pentathlon while I waited.
Back a few days later for the Athletics. I saw the American female relay team win that race. I saw that Jamaican relay team smash the world record. Just amazing. To see Usain Bolt run, and subsequently argue with the official because he wanted to keep the baton. I saw Mandeville stalk him across the track. I could see it all from my seat in the gods. It was an amazing experience.
The Jamaican team celebrate
I saw Mo Farah win the 5000m. I know. The crowd was roaring, as Mo ran around there was a deafening wave of intense MO MO MO MO MO that followed him. I worried for him. I wanted him to do it. And he did! We joined the crowds after outside the BBC studio cheering him. People were singing any kind of a song that they could shoehorn Mo into. Mo, Mo, Mo your boat! Heads, shoulders, knees and Mo!
My compulsory mobot after Mo won the 5000m
The crowd spilling out after the athletics
The next day I went to the Modern Pentathlon. In style, we travelled by boat down the Thames to Greenwich on the most gorgeous day.
Lovely London – our view from the boat
The Modern Pentathlon in Greenwich
And then the closing ceremony which I watched on the big screen in Victoria Park. My only disappointing experience of the games. Terrible food and lots of queues (and I am comparing them McDonalds at the park). A real shame and a missed opportunity.
And that was it, it was over. But the Paralympics was about to start. I even knew a Paralympian!
More tomorrow.
* Irish folks of a *cough* certain vintage may recall the Zig and Zag nothing to do with toast video. I laughed many happy hours watching them roas over and over, everytime a slice of toast appeared on the screen THIS VIDEO HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH TOAST.
Comments
Thanks for sharing your Olympic memories. Very cool.
My pleasure :)
It really was all so brilliant and love seeing all the “converts” like you! I’ve always been an Olympic nut getting up in middle of night to watch when it was in far flung places so having it here just amazing.
I was the same, totally got into it and was so not bothered before it started. Went to the closing ceremony on Sunday night and bawled my eyes out. Incredible. I wrote a bit about it a bit for my ‘day job’: http://www.nowmagazine.co.uk/blogs/now-says/538179/the-olympics-closing-ceremony-was-rubbish-but-at-least-gary-barlow-did-us-proud-and-made-me-cry/1
http://www.nowmagazine.co.uk/blogs/now-says/538664/hot-video-alert-paralympic-poster-boy-oscar-pistorius-can-dance-too/1
Still feeling emotional about it, wish we could do it all over again.
excellent review niamh!
Me too in the ‘don’t do sport’ camp to ‘totally obsessed’ by the olympics and paralympics. Really jealous that you actually got to go and I had to watch on the telly!
LOVE this blog post. Really captures how the Olympics effected everyone, especially ‘hard faced’ Londoners (myself included) who thought the Olympics would get in the way of our every day London life – it did, but in the best way imaginable! Very jealous that you managed to get to so many events – I tried and tried for weeks on that darn website, but nothing (went to the Paralympics twice though, hurrah!).
Gutted that it’s all over and feel emotional when i think back – it will be in our hearts and memories forever :-)
Looking forward to your blog on the paralympics! :-)
I wish I had been able to get involved more that just watching it on TV, I had to work through all of it, catching glimpses on TV after coming home from work was about the best I could achieve. We are normally a proud nation of moaners (and rightly so) but in true British style we know how to cheer on our folks in sport. Hilight for me by far was seeing Andy Murray finally get what he deserved and smash federer into the ground, and of course Jessica Ennis was also one of my favourites. I sometimes wish I lived in London for it’s metropolitan life, all the great food within easy reach, but I just don’t like city life, stick me in a field with some cows and I would be happy…. I work in the city…in retail :( haha
I’m so jealous I can barely speak. How did you manage to get all those tickets?? I tried my utmost and only managed first round boxing, dressage and paralympic athletics with no Team GB competitors. Did you go to the street food market at the Greenwich Olympics site? Loads of good stuff like the Egg Boss, Mike+ollie and the best chips ever. Put the food at Stratford to shame.
I have total post-festival blues. I miss the cheerful smiles. I miss there always being something great to watch on tele. But I completely agree- the food when we went into the Hyde Park screen was an utter disgrace- such a lost opportunity.
You took some nice pictures of the olympics!! looks like you had a good time!!
It’s normal to love the olympics, since they were hosted in UK. Though this is not the only reason i assume..You simply like the event, and this is seen in all your pictures. Nice work !
Ooh, I just found your blog and I love it! Great writing :)
Lovely to read your post, enjoyed every moment of the Olympics. You are so lucky to be able to watch a few events live!!
I’m still depressed, post-olympics… I also don’t do sport, but it only took the opening ceremony to get me hooked and I ended up going to fencing, rowing and hockey; and then wheelchair basketball, 2 sessions of athletics (including thriller Thursday and the final night when Oscar Pistorius won gold in the 400m T44), and the closing ceremony. I was laughing and crying and SCREAMING watching Oscar cross the finish line and I still get a bit choked up thinking how it felt to be in the stadium that night. I miss the volunteers and the spirit and the excitement and the park – everything, really. I am the generation that was inspired :)