London 2012

I was a lucky girl yesterday! I got a chance to go to London 2012 Super Saturday!

I couldn't wait to get chance to write a post on it ... and that was even before I actually went! But now I will sit and enjoy looking at the hundreds of photos I took and writing about the time I had! I hope you enjoy!

It was a very early 02:55 start! The day before me and my sister, Helen, decided that seasonal nail varnish was a must and I was mighty proud of my sporty nails! My enamel cried "Go Team GB"!

After a long car journey and a short train ride we arrived at the Olympic Park for 7am. Despite the ridiculously earliness everyone was in very good spirits and your could feel the excitement in the air.

The security checks were quick and efficient and it was lovely to see the army at such an event. They were so cheerful and happy and it was obvious they were enjoying being part of the games!

Then it was a long walk through the park to our destination. We passed the Aquatics Centre and watched the sun get brighter.

I did love the purple and pink colour scheme. The signs gave us all an early morning pick me up with their charming messages and were helpful during our day as they updated us with very important information regarding the huge number of medals Team GB were collecting!


A turn of the corner and WOW! There it is. Iconic. Breathtaking. Exciting. The Olympic Stadium.

It was really surreal at this point. Actually being somewhere so exciting. I'm not really the type of person to do this kind of thing but it was a real treat!

Right next to the beautiful stadia is the Orbit. Which is 115 meters high and designed by Anish Kapoor. It looked very stunning and the only thing I would add would be instead of walking down, maybe a Helter Skelter Experience. I'm sure a few potato sacks wouldn't hurt!

As we continued our journey to the Hockey we passed a spongy floor, which my Dad loved! He was always playing games with paving stones when we were little and he couldn't resist giving himself the challenge of only being able to use green or orange colours to step on. He has certainly passed on this love of silly walking. I usually will hop around town thinking "step on a crack, break your back" or avoid treading on drains!

And as if we needed waking up; a Brass Band came trumpeting and drumming their way through the park. How very British! I think marching bands were the theme of the day because later on we were graced with some very carnival type of music from the Martin Luther King Band ... it was a great way of jeering up the crowds!

.... I did take a video, but the photo shows them walking off ...

The BBC studios - on top of what looks like humongous camera storage boxes ... very creative!

The RUN installation by Monica Bonvicini outside the Copper Box (were handball is played).

In the day it looks like mirrors but at night it is lit up with LED lights and look spectacular.

Phew ... nearly there! All this before 8am!!!!

I can see it in the distance .....

 

Here we are ..... the Riverbank Arena :) And lots and lots of very excited people!

We got to our seats ..... and I couldn't believe it. I think we had the best seats in all of the arena. Right up at the top, facing out into the whole of the park. I could see the Orbit, Stadium, Aquatics centre to my right.

And in front of me I could see the Velodrome!

And I certainly wasn't going to go without my bunting .... hehe!

We enjoyed two matches. Australia v South Africa and The Netherlands v Korea.

The Netherlands were the gold medal holders from the 2008 games in Beijing, so they had quite a following. And boy do the Dutch like the colour orange and Mexican waves!

We saw Australia and Holland win, and it was great to see a game on the iconic blue pitch.

By 12:30 we were out of the Riverbank Arena and the rest of the park was our oyster. It was so so busy!!! But that's what made it!

I don't think I have ever been somewhere with that many people. Everywhere you looked there were seas of heads and bodies. Every arena was being used to full capacity and that's why they call it Super Saturday and Sunday because there are the most sports that happen, and the most medals are won.

I have tried to find out how many people were actually there but can't seem to find anything. But I will let you see for yourself how busy it was.

Another fantastic part of the day was seeing everyone with flags and red, white and blue costumes.

Face paints, nail varnish, shoe laces, tee shirts ..... you name it ..... it was there!

We also got the chance to go into the Beat Box which was provided by Coca-Cola.

The experience was all about the theme of inspiring young people to pursue their passions. I was really interested in this as some projects I work on are also about a similar kind of theme, so it was a great catalyst for ideas.

It is really hard to explain the concept of this building, but the red panels were all beats recorded by Mark Ronson. Each beat was a different sound from sports, from ping pong balls to a heartbeat, galloping hooves to squeaking trainers ... you get the jist!

As you walked around the building you touched the red panels which all went to produce the end recording.

It was really interactive, but I was side tracked with the views through the panels.

At the top of the structure you were treated with spectacular views of the park and also a picture with the olympic torch. Here is my Dad and Helen having theirs taken.

There is the Riverbank Stadium, filled with people watching GB play hockey. What a shame they didn't win!

You then travelled down through the centre of the building and on the walls of the spiralling ramp is all the names of bright young people involved in the Olympics. How inspiring!

And then a spectacular display of moving lampshades, all made by the people whose names feature on the wall. They could be performers, torch bearers or designers.

 

Then you are guided into a pitch black corridor and suddenly the lights come on and in front is a bar serving some much deserved ... and needed ... cold pop!

I was very chuffed with my keepsake of the day. A limited edition metal coke bottle. For free :) I will find a most suitable place to display it.

The last couple of hours in the park were spent wondering around the centre of the park. Enjoying the beautifully designed waterways which although busy, were very relaxed and chilled.
  

After our leisurely stroll (probably due to the fact we had been up for over 10 hours and were rather tried!) we went over to see the Velodrome and Basketball Court.

I was most impress with this huge mirror and I found it funny to think that simple things can really captivate people's imaginations. Nobody could walk past and not see if they could find themselves. I am in the sky blue rain coat under with BP emblem.

Oh boy, what a day we were having. I just loved soaking up every second of the atmosphere. Watching everyone enjoy themselves and revel in the fact that the Olympics were finally here, and happening!

Every precious ounce of space was planted in the most glorious meadow flowers. Hopefully this will "inspire a generation" to plant with the bees and butterflies in mind!

And that is all I have to report on with regards to the day out. It was a long journey back, and I was most happy to get back home and have a shower before Craig returned from Cricket. We had a fruit medley made up of kiwi, pink grapefruit and banana and relaxed in front of the box and watched possibly the best ever British Sporting Day.

You know what I mean. Mo Farah ... Ennis  etc ........ and guess what ...... I was part of that day!

I still have to pinch myself!

Glorious! History Making! London 2012!

Hurrah!