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Category Archives: Olympics

The Torch Has Arrived In London!

20 Friday Jul 2012

Posted by pat in England, London, Olympics, Uncategorized

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The Olympic Torch arrived in London! The torch was carried by Royal Marine Martyn Williams as he rappelled down into the Tower of London from a Royal Navy Sea King helicopter July 20th. Read the story in The Washington Post here.

Photo by Jae C. Hong from The Washington Post article.

Crowds lined the banks of the River Thames as the torch arrived, and word has it that the 2012 Olympic medals are safely stowed away at The Tower of London ready for the winners.

Let the games begin! The countdown begins to the final week.

The Olympic Torch Begins Its Journey

20 Sunday May 2012

Posted by pat in Cornwall, England, Olympics, Travel, Uncategorized

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Olympic Torch

What a great first day in England, jetlag and all.

We had the usual awful red-eye flight, on a totally packed plane with no sleep at all.  I’ll never get used to those dreadful overnight flights to Europe.

After arriving at Heathrow totally bedraggled, we decided to spend our Saturday driving towards Cornwall where we needed to be by Sunday to meet up with family. With frequent breaks and even a catnap in the car at a rest stop, we hit the really pretty part of Dartmoor Forest in Devon and decided to start looking for an Inn to spend the night. Of course, we had no idea that the Olympic Torch had landed at Lands End to the west of us by helicopter from Greece that morning, and was making its way through the area on the very first day of its journey, and ours, on English soil.

The torch is beginning it's journey through England. Photo by me

After searching in vain all afternoon for any kind of accommodation on the moors or along the southwest coast, we finally made it to Bodmin in Cornwall and found a great little hotel right in town that MBB had discovered online.  Checking in, we mentioned our trials and tribulations of the day because of the torch’s progress.

A great little hotel in the town of Bodmin in Cornwall. photo by me.

The gentleman behind the desk said he understood, and added that the flame was arriving in front of this hotel at 6pm with great fanfare.  What luck!  A room and the torch, and a great early supper of curry in the dining room watching the street outside as people gathered for the festivities. You couldn’t ask for a sweeter first day, and we even got some true sunshine by evening.

Everyone rushes in to town to see the torch come by. photo by me.

The excitement kept building for an hour waiting for the athlete to come running down the main street. photo by me

Then the church bells started ringing all over town, the police car escort flashed down the hill, and the crowd cheered as the runner came. photo by me

The torch bearer came by in a flash, but the crowd was thrilled. It really was an event of a lifetime. photo by me.

My Beloved Brit of course took full credit for planning such a wonderful day, although I think there was a bit of luck involved. None-the-less, I love him for turning what could have been day of only frustration into a memorable adventure.

Bond, James Bond, meets the Queen?

13 Sunday May 2012

Posted by pat in England, entertainment, movies, Olympics, The Royal Family, Uncategorized

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James Bond, knighthood, Skyfall

A new Bond movie is in the works, Skyfall, with Daniel Craig once again playing Bond. The new film will be released October 26th in the UK, November 9th, 2012 in the US.  Judi Dench returns as M, and the new plot revolves around her character as “her past comes back to haunt her”. Javier Bardem joins the cast as the “villain”, and the new Bond Girl is Berenice Marlohe as Severine. Sounds intriguing.

From the new James Bond film, Skyfall, Photo: Francois Duhamel/Sony Pictures

According to speculation in an article in The Telegraph, The Queen  agreed to make a cameo appearance in the film.  James Bond 007 is to have knighthood bestowed on him by the Queen, and the scene will reportedly be beamed around the world during the opening ceremony at the Olympic Games.

Bond, of course, cannot comment.  His future missions are top secret, after all.

London 2012 Olympic Torch Relay Route Animation

28 Wednesday Mar 2012

Posted by pat in England, London, Olympics, Uncategorized

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2012 Olympic Torch Relay

The 2012 Olympics are coming! This is a fun new video showing the route of the torch through Great Britain. Can you identify some of the spots?

8,000 people will carry the Olympic Flame through more than 1,000 cities, towns and villages in the UK. Lit in Greece, the torch arrives in the UK on May 18th, 2012 for the 70-day journey. Click here to see the map of where it will travel, and if it will come near you.

Olympic Rings Are Rollin’ Down The River…and Tea For Three

01 Thursday Mar 2012

Posted by pat in England, London, Olympics, Uncategorized

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Duchess of Cambridge, Fortnum & Mason, London. olympic rings, Summer Olympics, The Queen

Earlier this week, on February 28th, these huge olympic rings were floated down the Thames, proclaiming that there are only 150 days to go until the Summer Olympics begin in London!

Rolling Down the River. photo London 2012 Olympics official site.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Mayor Boris Johnson announced…

“We’re creating the biggest festival of outdoor arts ever to be seen in the capital, as well as fantastic new work that will throw new light on some of our city’s lesser-known landmarks and hidden gems.”

Let the games begin!

The Queen, Camilla, and Kate went to tea today at Fortnum and Mason’s (one of my favorite spots, click here to view post) for their first ever joint “working” engagement.

Here’s the article in The Daily Mail, which has a great video at the end of the story.

Royal Tea Party, from The Daily Mail

Do you think they had a chat to coordinate their colors?  So very like spring, and the Queen is wearing the beautiful shade of blue mirroring the Fortnum & Mason famous colour.

The event is meant to officially open the “Diamond Jubilee Tea Room” at the store, but the larger purpose is to emphasize the revitalization of the Piccadilly area, one of our favorite neighborhoods when we visit London.

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