Vancouver 2010 - Part 2

The day of the opening ceremonies had a shaky start to say the least. I watched the ceremonies at a friend's place, and although we spent most of the time joking and explaining what was going on to the two americans in attendance, I think the event succeeded in lifting the mood of the spectators. The mishap of the pillar that wouldn't rise (because the trap door wouldn't open actually) was partially offset by Wayne Gretzky carrying the torch through downtown and nearly getting mobbed by surprised and excited fans.

At this point I should mention the helicopters we can hear almost all day and night, and sometimes jet planes as well. Last week while biking I could still hear one when I was halfway to UBC. I worried that if it started raining and someone pulled out a dark umbrella the wrong way, they might get shot!

I haven't gotten around to submitting a Vectorial Elevation design, but here are some highlights of my Olympic experience so far:

Saturday evening saw us attending a Mes Aieux concert at the Place de la Francophonie on Granville Island. There are concerts in French every night during the Games. Here's a video that might ring a bell. Every now and then you'll notice the pouring rain that did not manage to disperse the crowd. Despite the rain, and although half the audience did not understand French (the band took a poll), I was pleasantly surprised by the successful request for an encore.



On Sunday Francis and I saw a women's hockey game: Finland vs. Russia. Most of the crowd cheered for Finland who of course won 5 - 1 (Russia's only goal, which was also the first, took a few good minutes to be confirmed). Some visual evidence:


The Fins (in white and blue) spent most of the game on the offensive, even during power play.

Finally, on Monday the 15th I used the figure skating ticket that travelled to Germany and back to watch the four-hour long pairs free skate event. I had an incredible time, and the disappointment of seeing almost each pair take at least one fall was offset by China's silver-winning nearly flawless performance. The only reason Pang and Tong did not take the gold (Shen and Zhao did) was their comparatively low score in the short program. I was sitting quite high above the rink and this is all my compact camera could accomplish:


I can't remember which country the couple in the top picture was representing, but it doesn't matter because they did not do very well. Neither did the Swiss (second picture). The last photo is of one of the several perfect figures executed by the silver medalists.

During another short trip downtown last night, we joined the crowd celebrating local Maelle Ricker's gold in snowboard cross. I finally bought a canadian flag so I could cheer and be patriotic. The aim of the trip was to purchase a couple of Olympic themed items at The Bay, but the 300-m long lineup discouraged us.
More on the celebrations later, perhaps after I attend the Deutsche Fan Fest tomorrow!

Finally, Francis and I are among the 20 000 disappointed spectators whose tickets were cancelled due to knee-deep mud in the standing room area at Cypress mountain. We got our men's ski cross tickets through the lottery and this would have been the third and final event I would have attended, and the only one taking place outdoors. I watched snowboard cross online and it looked like so much fun, so I was really really looking forward to it. I am very disappointed that they did not make more of an effort to remedy the situation. The girlfriend of an officemate is a volunteer and she says they have more important problems to deal with.
I am enjoying the Olympics in Vancouver and I keep cheering for Canada, but it is hard not to acknowledge that these Games are having a lot of issues. Ten more days to go, so hopefully things will go uphill from here.

Tomorrow I will go pick up my mom at the airport and try to have my picture taken with Sumi, Miga, Quatchi or Muk Muk (my favorite!). Check out the link and place the cursor over each mascot. Watch the Muk Muk video too!

More updates are coming soon, as we discover the city, Games and celebrations more in depth with our guests.