Communication: One of my favorite things about traveling is listening to people talk. Even the Tube operators had different dialects, from cockney to Irish to Liverpool. It’s the same thing you notice when you travel in the USA, if you’d go from Maine to Mississippi to Texas. Love the variety. However, the difference in London, especially during the Olympics, is that there are also people from all over the world in the city, so languages are as varied as the countries represented at the Olympics. It’s fascinating! And in the arenas we attended (Aquatics, Wembley and ExCel) the crowd would cheer loudly in Japanese, Chinese, and Korean. It was disorienting and fascinating at the same time.

Athlete Encounters: Twice during our Olympic events we came across Olympic athletes and coaches. At table tennis, there was an athlete from the German team sitting three rows in front of us. People kept coming up to him, requesting to have their picture taken with him. Turns out he had just won the bronze medal with the German team, and even the Chinese fans knew who he was (Outcharou Dimitrij). There was also a Korean woman who came to the arena near the end of the match who attracted a lot of attention form the crowd.

Another encounter we had was on the train leaving ExCel. We met a USA coach with the wrestling team. We noticed his credentials and USA polo shirt. We struck up a conversation, and it turns out he’s from Colorado Springs, and works as Development Coach, who helps the under 20 wrestlers at the Olympics. He was a really nice guy. Wish we could have talked to him longer, but he got off the train only two stops after we got on.

The most common color is BLACK. A lot of the young crowd likes to wear layers of black, like a black coat over a black laced shirt with black stockings and shoes.

Getting Around: The biggest adjustment to make when visiting London is to look RIGHT when crossing the street. Since everyone drives on the left side of the road, you need to look right first, then left. It took a lot of getting used to. Several times I caught myself looking the wrong direction and almost stepping into oncoming traffic. 

The Tube, or subway, is a well organized system that’s been the main mode of transportation for Londoners for a LONG time. It’s easy to navigate, with signs clearly posted to lead the way. And speaking of leading the way, there’s several unspoken courtesies that people follow when walking the underground. The first is that when riding the escalator, people STAND on the right and WALK on the left. We got caught a few times not following this rule, with Leah sticking out her elbows as she’s prone to do while standing, only to have her arms moved by passing commuters.

The newspaper is alive and well in London. Almost every commuter reads the paper, which has several free versions that they give away upon entering the underground.

People love twiddling their technology on the Tube. Almost every person riding the Tube is either reading a newspaper or fiddling with their phones. Very rare are the people who are simply sitting there, spacing out. People don’t seem to like interacting much on the Tube.

We then drove to Islington to get some lunch. Leah wanted Indian one more time before we left for home. Had a nice meal at an outdoor table, with Chico the dog joining us for lunch.

Home for a nap in the afternoon, then Madi came home from work and we went out for our last meal of the trip. Mark was telling us about this place in Soho called Imano that features “bluetooth tables.” I wasn’t sure what that meant, but Zelda was very excited to go, so we went along with it. Took the Tube to downtown London and strolled through Soho on a Friday night. It was crowded. Every business was a restaurant or bar, and every one was crowded with people.

When we arrived at Imano, the place felt like Adams Street: a quiet haven in the midst of the crowds. It’s a Japanese fusion restaurant. But what really sets it apart is the tables. Each table has a projection image on it from above. You use the table as your mouspad, and scroll through the menu choices right on the table top. Once you place your order, someone brings it out within a few minutes. No waiters required. And you can view a picture of the dish you’re browsing right on a big circle that has your plate. The menu settings also include “ambiance” that lets you change the table top image, along with games that kids can play while they wait. This was a dining experience like no other. Totally unique and “trendy” to say the least. I was still full from lunch, so I had two small plates featuring five spice pork belly and bok choy in a ginger sauce. Great food, great atmosphere, and the perfect way to wind up our trip.

We came home and played charades until bedtime. And now here we are, 4 hours from Denver, ready to go home.

We got home at around 3:00 p.m. and rested up before heading out to Wembley Stadium at 6:00. The Tube was easy to navigate, with only one transfer between Mark’s stop (Archway/Nothern Line) and Wembley Park (Metropolitan Line). We got the Wembley at around 7:00 and it was MOBBED! More crowded than Olympic Park. Just a huge mass of people (80,000+) all converging on the stadium. There was a palpable buzz in the crowd as USA faced Japan in the final. Lots of people dressed in stars and stripes, face painters, and women in traditional Japanese kimonos. As we got closer, the chants of “USA-USA-USA” got louder and louder. Took us a while to get past security, and we got inside about 15 minutes before game time. Our seats were AMAZING!! We were in the 17th row,between the goal post and the corner flag, on one end of the stadium. The whole experience of walking into this massive stadium, with the crowd yelling and screaming, loud music playing, it was unforgettable! When we got to our seats, we were covered under a giant flag that was being passed around the stadium. Jake loved being under this giant fabric, as we helped pass it around the lower section of the stadium.

When the game began, it was electric! Chants for both Japan and USA filled the arena. I used my camera to take some great action shots with my zoom lens. Several times the play would come directly at us, and I captured the USA’s first goal and celebration, which happened right in front of us! It was AWESOME! The USA Women won the game 2-1, thanks mostly to Hope Solo’s incredible goaltending, stopping several shots that could have easily turned the game around.

By the time the medal ceremony began, Jake was tired. We kept telling him to remember this moment, how special it is that he’s witness to the USA winning a gold medal at the Olympics, and how this was a once-in-a-lifetime experience. I hope he will remember this night and be able to tell stories about his Olympic experience.

Leaving Wembley was even worse than arriving. Since almost everyone there arrived via public transportation, trying to make it to the Tube station turned out to be quite the ordeal. But to London’s credit, they had it organized to handle the crowds. We had to wait about 15 minutes when we got close to the station, and the police let waves of fans walk up the steps to the station, groups at a time. When we finally made it home, it was almost midnight, and Jake was SPENT. He wound up throwing up just before bed, luckily in the toilet. A long day, but one we will always remember.

I think we chose two good events to see at the Olympics. The juxtaposition between Table Tennis and Soccer was unique. We went from the focus of the arena being a very small area (a lone ping pong table in the center of a large arena), to one where the playing field took up the entire bottom floor of an 80,000 capacity stadium. A great way to experience two Olympic events that are very different from each other.

ExCel Arena

Once we were let in, there was loud music playing and concert lighting everywhere. There was a lone table in the center of the arena, and next to it was the podium for the medal ceremony. It was China vs Korea in the final match. Three players on a team, and they played two rounds of singles, and one round of doubles. If necessary, they’d play two more rounds of singles to determine the winning team. A match was best 3 of 5 games, and the first team to win 3 matches wins the gold. China swept Korea in three straight matches, so the final match was doubles. The crowd was definitely pro-China. Lots of random cheering in Chinese, with the crowd waving flags throughout the match. It was a full house, about 5,000 people or so in the arena. It’s such a fast-paced sport! The Koreans had one player in the 2nd match who was a master defensive player. He’d return every shot the Chinese player would hit, no matter how hard. He’s just wait for the other guy to make a mistake. But it wasn’t enough to wind his set.  He was, however, the only Korean player to win a game against his opponent.

A good first Olympic experience!! Took the Tube home, and I cooked dinner with Mark, chicken marsala.

Brighton is a quaint town. They have a pier with rides and games for the kids, and lots of funky restaurants. It reminded me a little of Venice Beach, but with a definite English touch. We rode a giant ferris wheel called “The Wheel of Excellence” where we could look out over the ocean and the town of Brighton. Had lunch at a pizza place where I finally got to order a Guinness, and we spent the day watching the kids go on rides and playing games.

I finally got to take off my shoes and put my feet in the ocean water. Ahhh! How I missed the ocean! The beach was unusual in Brighton. There was no sand. Instead, the beach is nothing but a variety of smooth rocks. It hurts your feet to walk on it. Jake had a great time throwing rocks into the ocean. This was the first time that Jake had ever seen a REAL ocean. The sounds and smells of the ocean was hypnotizing. We just sat and soaked it in, and Jake threw rocks and got his pants went. When a wave would come in higher than before, he’d shout, “That’s a new high score!” Cute.

A long day, but a fun one nonetheless. Lots of walking, once again, but worth it.

Touring London sites

Monday and Tuesday were non-Olympic days, so we made plans to explore London on Monday, taking in the sites. We rode the Tube into central London, and visited Trafalgar Square, Horse Guard’s Palace, Big Ben, and South Bank. We strolled along the river Thames, watched some street performances, and then went to a place on the river with rides for kids. We rode a rollercoaster called The Wild Mouse, then Zelda and Jake rode the Skyrider, which was a giant circling swing high above the ground. They had a great time! We did a lot of walking around on Monday, something we’ve been doing a lot of in London.

We met Madi for lunch at a place where she’s a member. It’s a private restaurant called simply Adams Street. She usually brings clients there for power lunches. Today, however, we were her guests. It was cool. You walk into the old building with no signs stating it’s a restaurant, and go downstairs to find this beautiful old room with arches and leather chairs. After walking through crowded streets all morning, Adams Street was like this little oasis in the middle of a bustling city. I had gourmet fish and chips featuring sea bass and minty peas. Yummy! A great little respite from crowded London.

After a full day, we returned home and had a lovely dinner cooked by Mark and Madi. After dinner Madi and Zelda got out their instruments and played some music. I joined in on guitar, and we took turns playing songs together. A beautiful night of music and laughter!

We slept until almost 10:30 on Saturday. Must have been more tired than we thought. Once we go up, we drove to Hampstead Heath. Zelda had never heard of geocaching, so we schooled her on the basics and set out to find several caches around the Heath. We found the ones we searched for. Our first international geocache hunt!! I have a feeling Zelda will continue to do more geocaching with her friends long after we leave.

The evening on Sunday turned into a total surprise. Mark, Madi, and Zelda were scheduled to attend their 2nd Olympic event, Women’s Springboard Diving Finals, at Olympic Park Aquatic Center. When Madi found out that diving is my favorite event, she decided to give her ticket to me to go with Mark and Zelda. HOLY MOLY! This was like a dream come true! I couldn’t believe I was going to see Diving at Olympic Park!! It was incredible.

All six of us took the Tube to the Olympic Park station, and we parted ways with Leah, Jake, and Madi. They went to the shopping mall that’s right there, and Mark, Zelda, and myself went with our tickets into Olympic Park.
The whole experience of Olympic Park was incredible! As soon as you exit the train there were volunteers sitting on high chairs with bullhorns shouting encouragement to the crowd. For example: “Keep moving everyone! You’re at the Olympics! Move it like you just don’t care! Smile, you’re at the Olympics! Remember you need a ticket to enter the Park. Aren’t you lucky! You’re going to the Olympics! Raise your hands and cheer if you’re from (insert country names here).”

Security was similar to the airport. You had to take off all metal, jewelry, etc. put your bags through the x-ray scanners, and walk through a metal detector before entering the park. Once inside, though, the walk to Olympic Park was electric! There was masses of people everywhere. A sea of humanity. And you could feel the good nature of everyone as they converged on main entrance. Everyone was in a good mood, people taking pictures left and right, and volunteers in bright pink vests to assist visitors along the way.  I took a lot of photos of The Orbit, Olympic Stadium, and the Aquatics Center. As we approached the Aquatics Center, I got overwhelmed by the whole experience. I couldn’t believe I was actually THERE, at the Olympics, inside Olympic Park, about the see Springboard Diving Finals at the Aquatics Center! We took a bunch of pictures from outside the Aquatics Center, and Zelda and I each got a Diving Shirt from a souvenir stand. Turns out they sold out of these shortly after, so good thing we got them when we did.

The inside of the Aquatics Center was a site to behold. The curved roof architecture made for excellent viewing from just about any seat in the house. Our seats were in row 31 out of about 100, two sections over from the diving pool A great spot!! They had announcers getting the crowd worked up, with music and videos being projected on the big screen. When the event was about to begin, the athletes came out and were introduced one by one. Then, about 5 minutes later, the diving event began. There were 5 rounds of dives by the 12 divers. Each round the dives got progressively more difficult. After the first few divers, we could tell who was poised to win a medal, and who wasn’t. The whole event went by rather fast, about an hour from start to finish. China won both Gold and Silver, and Mexico got bronze. After about a 20 minute break, the top three divers came out for the medal ceremony. I took as many pictures as I could, and most came out pretty good. The whole time I was there, I was overwhelmed with the thought, “I’m actually here! Watching diving!” It was surreal.

After diving was over, the three of us hung out in Olympic Park and soaked up the atmosphere. We bought some stuff at the store, and ate some food and walked around. That night, in Olympic Stadium, Usain Bolt was running the 100m finals. We could hear the crowd roaring from outside the stadium. Turns out he won the event, which is what most people had come to see that night. I read in the paper that there was over 1 million ticket requests for that evening’s Athletics event, with everyone wanting to see Usain Bolt run the 100m. Even though we weren’t inside, we were close enough to feel the electricity.

We got home late Sunday night. It was a night I will always remember!

Driving out of the airport was weird, too, since everyone drives on the left side of the road instead of the right. Made for some disorienting driving, to say the least.

On our way to North London, the drive took us past Abbey Road, site of The Beatles famous album cover. We had to stop and wait for several rounds of tourists, all taking their picture crossing the street. There was also a wall covered with writing from people paying tribute to The Beatles.

Finally made it to Mark’s house at about 2:00 p.m. We were exhausted, to say the least. Spent an hour or so chatting with Mark, Madi, and Zelda, and then they had to leave to attend Beach Volleyball at Horse Guard Palace. This gave us the opportunity to take a well-deserved nap. We woke up and took a walk to Waterland Park, which is close to their house. Madi swims in the ponds there. It was beautiful, and Jake got to play on the playground and run off some energy.

When we got back, we ordered some Indian takeout food. I felt like a total dork on the phone, since I couldn’t even tell the lady the phone number I was calling from, or the correct address to deliver. It reminded me of Homer Simpson, when he tried to intercept a letter posed as Mr. Burns:

“Hello, my name if Mr. Burns. I believe you have a letter for me.”

Post clerk: “Yeah, what’s your first name?”

Homer: “I don’t know.”

When the food finally arrived, the total was 19 pounds and change. I gave the delivery guy £25, to which he seemed quite surprised. Apparently 10% or less is acceptable to give as gratuity, so giving a 5 pound tip must have surprised him.

Once we got here, we were exhausted. The jet lag caught up to us. Mark had tickets for beach volleyball that evening, so he left about an hour after we arrived, which gave us a chance to sleep for a few hours. Then we went for a walk around Waterlow Park, ordered some good Indian food, and slept some more after we ate. When Mark came home we got our second wind and stayed up drinking wine and talking until after 11 p.m. My body feels adjusted to the time change, and I’m ready to start the day.

Last night, Madi said she is going to give me her ticket to Women’s Springboard Diving this evening, which blew me away! I can’t contain my excitement at the fact that not only will I get to go inside Olympic Park, but I’ll get to see one of my favorite events (medal round, no less!) inside the Aquatic Center, which is a beautiful building. Can’t wait!

Brother Mark’s view of the beach volleyball