The Games Of The British Underdogs
This is becoming very much a games where some of the British medals have been won by athletes who were not fancied and have had tremendous difficulty getting to the Games at all.
Outstanding is probably Gemma Gibbons in the judo, who won an unexpected silver after the death of her mother to leukaemia a few years ago, then had a difficult draw.
I know they haven’t won a medal, but at least they’ve won a match for the first time. But the trials and tribulations of the Volleyball team have been enormous, as detailed in The Sun, in the paper’s inimitable manner.
Remember what Mark Twain said, “It’s not the size of the dog, but the size of the fight in the dog”
Death Of A Cyclist
It is always very sad when someone dies, but the death of a cyclist outside the Olympic Stadium is creating a few waves as well.
He was knocked off his bike and killed by a media bus, at a place that cyclists have said was dangerous for years. It was the typical cyclist under a turning vehicle accident, if any accident is typical.
I know it doesn’t help his family, but Bradley Wiggins has made strong statements about safety and said that all cyclists should wear helmets at all times.
One subsidiary point, was that quite a few of the soldiers guarding the Olympics were about but sadly couldn’t save the victim. Surely, this in itself is an argument for using soldiers at big events, as I suspect their emergency medical skills are a lot better than your average security guard.
Painted Nails
Many of the female athletes and even the Canadian men, are getting flags painted on their nails.
I hope the British get their Union Flags put on the right way up!
As to the Canadian men, perhaps Monty Python was right!
Walthamstow To Excel By Public Transport
I’m putting in this journey as it illustrates how good the public transport is for the Games.
Most would take the Victoria line and then fiddle round to Bank for the DLR. Or perhaps go into Liverpool Street and then either walk or take one stop to Bank.
But I wouldn’t!
I’d take the 69 bus or big red taxi as they are known this summer to Canning Town station and then take the DLR two stops from there.
The Visitor Paradox
We have pointers that show that London is not as busy as it normally is at this time of the year.
- The buses aren’t full.
- Trafalgar Square is emptier than usual.
- The Emirates Air-Line isn’t busy.
- There is moaning about empty restaurants.
- I did try a hotel site and found there are rooms available.
- I bet too, the taxi drivers aren’t happy.
- I’ve not had any difficulty getting a seat on the Underground lately.
On the other hand, the public seats at the venues are generally full and I’ve been in two 70,000 plus crowds at Wembley this week. Some tickets too are unobtainable, although others are still to be picked up in small numbers on the web site.
We won’t really know until we see the full statistics for things like transport spend and bed occupation to know what has actually happened.
But could London have created a totally different type of Olympics to what we’ve seen in the past few Games?
- London has masses of free attractions like museums, galleries and parks. So have many visitors decided that a visit to the National Gallery is better than spending money on an expensive lunch?
- London is a day trip away from a vast area of Northern Europe. So have people decided to fly in or take the train for a day or so and spent the money saved on tickets?
- London has a vast expatriate community. It is for example, the sixth largest French city. So are many of the visitors camping on the floor of their friends and relatives homes? Let’s face it, if one of my sons was living in an Olympic city, that would be the time I’d go.
- It is said that a lot of the empty seats seen are those allocated to sponsors and the Olympic family. So have corporates decided that the sponsorship has been worth it, but allowing their executives to party in these times is not on?
As I said, we won’t know until we see the statistics.
A Big Red Taxi
This 29 bus was totally empty except for a postman going off shift and myself, as I took it away from Trafalgar Square.
A Big Red Taxi
But then it was mid afternoon. Afterwards, I went to Waitrose and Starbucks at the Angel and they were quiet too!
Even Trafalgar Square Isn’t Busy
I took this picture in Trafalgar Square today.
Even Trafalgar Square Isn’t Busy
I would have thought that it would have been busier. It could just be that most of the visitors have money and hanging round Trafalgar Square isn’t part of their itinerary.
No Shortage Of Litter Bins
There doesn’t appear to be to much of a shortage of litter bins.
No Shortage Of Litter Bins
This was one of many at North Greenwich
Newham Pushes The Bike Out
Newham was welcoming visitors and handing out information from a bicycle with a large box on the front, much like those used to dispense ice cream.
Newham Pushes The Bike Out
It’s a simple eco-friendly method and should be used more often. The picture incidentally was taken by the cable-car and it was quiet.
Strange Bus Adverts In Chinese
There is series of bus adverts like these on lots of London buses. Here’s one.
Strange Bus Adverts In Chinese
It is apparently aimed at the Chinese home market.
The Anonymous Widower 