I woke up a little after 8 a.m. or so. I had remembered that Lori Sabatose pitched the idea of gathering in the lobby around 9 to go see Abbey Road. I got out of bed and got breakfast, and our group formed shortly afterward to make the trip. The group consisted of me, Rocky Sites, Colleen Oakes, Lori, and Beth Clark. We took the metro out to the nearest stop (the name escapes me right now) and eventually, we stumbled upon the famed crosswalk. I had half expected the road to be blocked off for pictures, similar to how platform nine and three quarters was blocked off for incoming tourists. Not the case. There was already a large group of people at the road, but they had to risk their lives dodging incoming cars in order to get a solid picture. I could definitely tell that the locals despised driving on this road and seeing stupid tourists. After the group ahead of us took about a million pictures, Lori, Colleen, Beth and I managed to create a Beatles-esque line on the crosswalk. Rocky snapped a couple of photos before a bus crept up on him and forced us to scatter. The buses in London are extremely quiet. I think they run on vegetable oil or something like that. It's a wonder more people do not get run over here.
After our near-death experience, we walked about 20 seconds down the road to find Abbey Road studios. The studio itself was gated off, but there was a ton of writing and signatures on the bricks by the gate. Lori whipped out her marker and we all found a tiny spot to put our names. I snapped some photos and then we decided to head off elsewhere.
We found a large area known as Regent's Park nearby. We checked out a map and decided to explore the area a little bit. There was a large tennis facility within the park, and Lori and Beth, the tennis coaches, just had to stop by and check it out. It was a beautiful day outside, so we saw a ton of people playing on the courts. Next, we ventured off toward the Queen's Gardens. Lori was excited at the prospect that the Queen could potentially be around these gardens during tea time. She decided to give us all nicknames. I was Sir Sean Leonard, as if I had been knighted. To her disappointment, the Queen was not there. However, we got to snap photos of all the beautiful flower beds and smelled some of them. I could only imagine how beautiful the garden would look during the spring. We also managed to stumble upon an amphitheatre where they put on live shows every so often. We could not actually explore the theatre, but I managed to find out what was coming in the near future. The next show that would be playing was A Midsummer Night's Dream. I immediately thought of my older sister, who will forever be remembered as "Puck" for her rousing performance as the character in high school.
We made our way out of the park, looking for something to eat, when we found a music museum nearby. We decided to stop by and check it out for a bit. The museum had a large collection of singing and guitar books, as well as a cool display of older pianos. Afterward, we found (surprise!) another pub, where decided to go inside and eat. I ordered a chicken breast covered with cheese and tomato sauce, some chips, a small salad, and a half a pint of London Pride. After eating, we all went our separate ways to other activities that we had planned for the day. With tickets and travel pass in hand, I began my adventure toward Stratford, the home of the Olympic Park, i.e., the center of the sports universe.
The park was on the very outskirts of the city, with a couple of tall buildings in the distance (I assumed that this was where the athletes were staying). Before I actually made it inside the park, I had to go through a huge shopping area known as Westfield. I was overwhelmed by the sheer number of people that were there. Flags, colors, and facepaint were all over the place, both in the mall and in the park itself. As I made it through the gate, I took many pictures of the Olympic stadium, which was maybe a mile away. It was finally starting to hit me:
"I am at the Olympic games!"
I followed the signs to the basketball arena, where I would be posting up (haha get it?) for the next couple of hours. Thanks to Darci's Olympic app, I was able to find out beforehand what games I would be watching. Unfortunately, none of them involved the United States. Instead, I would have to watch Argentina vs. Tunisia and Russia vs. Brazil. Along the way to the arena, I took lots of pictures and marveled at all the venues within the park. There was an enormous Olympic Megastore that I made a point of visiting before I left. There was an enormous McDonalds. There were plenty of large booths and buildings dedicated to all of the main Olympic sponsors. The whole area was action-packed.
After about a half hour of walking, I managed to find the arena. I found my seat, which was WAY up toward the very top rows. I could see the players decently; it's not as if they were some unidentifiable dots. When I arrived, it was already late in the second quarter of the first game. Argentina and Tunisia were locked in a tight contest, and they entered halftime deadlocked at 41. I had heard from someone sitting near me that Tunisia actually had a 14-point lead early on. This Tunisia squad surprised me; I watched them a little bit a couple of nights ago when they played the United States. The US was a 55-point favorite to win that game, and although they came somewhat close to matching that number in the end, they struggled to pull away early on. After an entertaining halftime show that involved male dancers, the second half was about to begin. Argentina managed to blow the game open early on. Manu Ginobili from the San Antonio Spurs was hitting just about every shot he took. He had 24 points by about the halfway mark of the third quarter, and he sat for the remainder of the game pretty much (they brought him in for the last two minutes, for some reason). Luis Scola from the Houston Rockets was having his way with Tunisia in the post, recording a double-double. Carlos Delfino, currently an NBA free agent, was a little trigger-happy, but he managed to get his points. I was very impressed by Argentina's point guard, Facundo Campazzo. He lead an Argentina attack characterized by beautiful ball movement and wide-open shots. It was like watching the Spurs play last season in the NBA. Argentina ended up winning the game 92-69, and the whole crowd was treated to the passionate singing of the Argentine fans. After the game, I decided to leave the arena and grab a quick snack before the next game began. I stuck around my seat for a bit, though, because the guy sitting next to me forgot his bag. Eventually, I went down to an Olympic volunteer and handed him the bag, but then the guy thankfully showed up and claimed his bag.
Outside the stadium, I stood in a lengthy food line to get a delicious chocolate muffin. After devouring the treat, I went back inside to see both teams warming up. I did not know a whole lot about Russia's team, but I knew that Brazil was solid and would probably go far. Brazil had a handful of talented NBA players, including Nene Hilario from the Washington Wizards, Anderson Varejao from the Cleveland Cavaliers (aka "Wild Thing"), Leandro Barbosa from the Indiana Pacers, and Tiago Splitter (Stephen A. Smith's favorite player) from the San Antonio Spurs. I had seen that Russia had a couple of recognizable players as well, including Andrei Kirilenko (AK-47) from the Minnesota Timberwolves, Timofey Mozgov from the Denver Nuggets, and Sasha Kaun, who currently plays for a team in Moscow but won a national championship with the Kansas Jayhawks in 2008.
The game was very close the entire way. Just as it looked like one team would pull away, the other came storming back to make things even. Russia led most of the game thanks to their size and penetration ability. Brazil had a lot of point-blank opportunities early on, but could not convert. They started to heat up in the fourth quarter, grabbing the lead and looking to run away with the game. Barbosa, the "Brazilian Blur," was getting to the basket at will. However, the 3-point shooters from Russia quickly became a factor late. One hit a three to tie the game at 72, and after a Brazilian player made a basket with six seconds left, another Russian guard hit an off-balance three with the defender all over him with about two seconds left. Brazil could not answer, and the pro-Brazil crowd fell silent as the final buzzer sounded. Russia had remained undefeated in group play and had given Brazil its first loss, 75-74. It was a remarkable game with a remarkable finish.
Afterward, I began the long journey back to King's Cross. I braved the crowd of millions back toward the metro. On the way, I stopped by the Olympic Megastore and managed to purchase a large USA flag for just 10 pounds. Eventually, I found myself back in central London within the confines of Clink hostel. I ordered a seafood pizza from a nearby parlor and sat down in the basement, watching Olympic events and blogging. I got to see Michael Phelps win gold in the 200 individual medley, holding off his nemesis, Ryan Lochte, who got silver. I also went down to the station to see if there were any feasible day trips that I could take tomorrow. I REALLY wanted to see if it was possible to go to Edinburgh in Scotland, but it cost way too much. I decided that Cambridge sounded like a fun, cheap idea. I waited back in the room to see if anyone else would return or was interested, but nobody returned until late. Therre
After our near-death experience, we walked about 20 seconds down the road to find Abbey Road studios. The studio itself was gated off, but there was a ton of writing and signatures on the bricks by the gate. Lori whipped out her marker and we all found a tiny spot to put our names. I snapped some photos and then we decided to head off elsewhere.
We found a large area known as Regent's Park nearby. We checked out a map and decided to explore the area a little bit. There was a large tennis facility within the park, and Lori and Beth, the tennis coaches, just had to stop by and check it out. It was a beautiful day outside, so we saw a ton of people playing on the courts. Next, we ventured off toward the Queen's Gardens. Lori was excited at the prospect that the Queen could potentially be around these gardens during tea time. She decided to give us all nicknames. I was Sir Sean Leonard, as if I had been knighted. To her disappointment, the Queen was not there. However, we got to snap photos of all the beautiful flower beds and smelled some of them. I could only imagine how beautiful the garden would look during the spring. We also managed to stumble upon an amphitheatre where they put on live shows every so often. We could not actually explore the theatre, but I managed to find out what was coming in the near future. The next show that would be playing was A Midsummer Night's Dream. I immediately thought of my older sister, who will forever be remembered as "Puck" for her rousing performance as the character in high school.
We made our way out of the park, looking for something to eat, when we found a music museum nearby. We decided to stop by and check it out for a bit. The museum had a large collection of singing and guitar books, as well as a cool display of older pianos. Afterward, we found (surprise!) another pub, where decided to go inside and eat. I ordered a chicken breast covered with cheese and tomato sauce, some chips, a small salad, and a half a pint of London Pride. After eating, we all went our separate ways to other activities that we had planned for the day. With tickets and travel pass in hand, I began my adventure toward Stratford, the home of the Olympic Park, i.e., the center of the sports universe.
The park was on the very outskirts of the city, with a couple of tall buildings in the distance (I assumed that this was where the athletes were staying). Before I actually made it inside the park, I had to go through a huge shopping area known as Westfield. I was overwhelmed by the sheer number of people that were there. Flags, colors, and facepaint were all over the place, both in the mall and in the park itself. As I made it through the gate, I took many pictures of the Olympic stadium, which was maybe a mile away. It was finally starting to hit me:
"I am at the Olympic games!"
I followed the signs to the basketball arena, where I would be posting up (haha get it?) for the next couple of hours. Thanks to Darci's Olympic app, I was able to find out beforehand what games I would be watching. Unfortunately, none of them involved the United States. Instead, I would have to watch Argentina vs. Tunisia and Russia vs. Brazil. Along the way to the arena, I took lots of pictures and marveled at all the venues within the park. There was an enormous Olympic Megastore that I made a point of visiting before I left. There was an enormous McDonalds. There were plenty of large booths and buildings dedicated to all of the main Olympic sponsors. The whole area was action-packed.
After about a half hour of walking, I managed to find the arena. I found my seat, which was WAY up toward the very top rows. I could see the players decently; it's not as if they were some unidentifiable dots. When I arrived, it was already late in the second quarter of the first game. Argentina and Tunisia were locked in a tight contest, and they entered halftime deadlocked at 41. I had heard from someone sitting near me that Tunisia actually had a 14-point lead early on. This Tunisia squad surprised me; I watched them a little bit a couple of nights ago when they played the United States. The US was a 55-point favorite to win that game, and although they came somewhat close to matching that number in the end, they struggled to pull away early on. After an entertaining halftime show that involved male dancers, the second half was about to begin. Argentina managed to blow the game open early on. Manu Ginobili from the San Antonio Spurs was hitting just about every shot he took. He had 24 points by about the halfway mark of the third quarter, and he sat for the remainder of the game pretty much (they brought him in for the last two minutes, for some reason). Luis Scola from the Houston Rockets was having his way with Tunisia in the post, recording a double-double. Carlos Delfino, currently an NBA free agent, was a little trigger-happy, but he managed to get his points. I was very impressed by Argentina's point guard, Facundo Campazzo. He lead an Argentina attack characterized by beautiful ball movement and wide-open shots. It was like watching the Spurs play last season in the NBA. Argentina ended up winning the game 92-69, and the whole crowd was treated to the passionate singing of the Argentine fans. After the game, I decided to leave the arena and grab a quick snack before the next game began. I stuck around my seat for a bit, though, because the guy sitting next to me forgot his bag. Eventually, I went down to an Olympic volunteer and handed him the bag, but then the guy thankfully showed up and claimed his bag.
Outside the stadium, I stood in a lengthy food line to get a delicious chocolate muffin. After devouring the treat, I went back inside to see both teams warming up. I did not know a whole lot about Russia's team, but I knew that Brazil was solid and would probably go far. Brazil had a handful of talented NBA players, including Nene Hilario from the Washington Wizards, Anderson Varejao from the Cleveland Cavaliers (aka "Wild Thing"), Leandro Barbosa from the Indiana Pacers, and Tiago Splitter (Stephen A. Smith's favorite player) from the San Antonio Spurs. I had seen that Russia had a couple of recognizable players as well, including Andrei Kirilenko (AK-47) from the Minnesota Timberwolves, Timofey Mozgov from the Denver Nuggets, and Sasha Kaun, who currently plays for a team in Moscow but won a national championship with the Kansas Jayhawks in 2008.
The game was very close the entire way. Just as it looked like one team would pull away, the other came storming back to make things even. Russia led most of the game thanks to their size and penetration ability. Brazil had a lot of point-blank opportunities early on, but could not convert. They started to heat up in the fourth quarter, grabbing the lead and looking to run away with the game. Barbosa, the "Brazilian Blur," was getting to the basket at will. However, the 3-point shooters from Russia quickly became a factor late. One hit a three to tie the game at 72, and after a Brazilian player made a basket with six seconds left, another Russian guard hit an off-balance three with the defender all over him with about two seconds left. Brazil could not answer, and the pro-Brazil crowd fell silent as the final buzzer sounded. Russia had remained undefeated in group play and had given Brazil its first loss, 75-74. It was a remarkable game with a remarkable finish.
Afterward, I began the long journey back to King's Cross. I braved the crowd of millions back toward the metro. On the way, I stopped by the Olympic Megastore and managed to purchase a large USA flag for just 10 pounds. Eventually, I found myself back in central London within the confines of Clink hostel. I ordered a seafood pizza from a nearby parlor and sat down in the basement, watching Olympic events and blogging. I got to see Michael Phelps win gold in the 200 individual medley, holding off his nemesis, Ryan Lochte, who got silver. I also went down to the station to see if there were any feasible day trips that I could take tomorrow. I REALLY wanted to see if it was possible to go to Edinburgh in Scotland, but it cost way too much. I decided that Cambridge sounded like a fun, cheap idea. I waited back in the room to see if anyone else would return or was interested, but nobody returned until late. Therre
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