Lester from the Today Show, evening filming for morning America
Last night I went to the BirdsNest to see the 'fastest man in the world' run and break a world record, his own!
The stadium had about as many people in it as there were for opening ceremonies. It was very exciting. I haven't been to a 'track meet' in many years and when watching the Olympics on TV I guess I never realized that there are a variety of events happening all at the same time. We watched the men's 100 meter semifinals, the womens heptathalon, men's long jump, hurdles, sprints and women's shot put...all within the same 3 hours...But the 100 meter final was what everyone was there to see. When the runners took to the field the stadium roared...then it got errily quiet. Then the race was on and finished before you could even blink! I had sat in the stands for most of the night but when the 100 meter race was about to start I used my 'handy dandy' pass to get into the media area. They had a much better vantage point. It was great! I got photos of the start but was too busy watching that by the time I raised my camera it was over!
ready
set
done!!
This morning we went to the velodrome to watch cycling...Men's team pursuit and Women's sprints. It was fun to see but I admit I don't quite understand the strategy very much. There were a few Olympic records broken and this was only the qualifying races. It was fun...the Australians, English and Kiwis kept the roar of the crowd going. You could actually see the athletes trying harder as they passed the crowd. The Kiwis were the funnest to watch. They kept dropping a second every lap they made. (my theory is they were drafting off the crowd)
warming up
the strategy I don't understand...
After cycling we went to visit the Great Wall. Wow...it's as impressive as you would expect! Opinions vary on the actual length of the Wall, 1600-2700 miles long (or more)...Legend has it that over one million slaves and prisoners of war were used to build it. Many died in the process and their bodies were added to the interior of the wall to help build it up. It has been called the "longest cemetary in the world".
We arrived at the wall around 4 pm and most of the crowds had left. And we were very lucky to have a nice breeze and cooler temperatures...still very hazy though.
at the bottom of the Wall...always vendors to give the 'beautiful lady' a deal...
1 comment:
It is so exciting to read your blog every day. With your capacity to get into places that one would never expect, I've started looking for you with the families on the sidelines. Joan
Post a Comment