A Paralympic Farewell

On Sunday 9th September London had to sadly face the fact it was time to say goodbye to one of its greatest Summers in a long time. No, certainly not weather-wise, but in terms of sport, history and British pride.

Admittedly a lot of us had doubted the country and whether we’d be ready in time, would we put on a good enough show, would the athletes perform and get us medals? I would say the answer is without a doubt yes and then some!

For a start even the whole atmosphere in London changed. I was away for some of the Olympics I know, but whilst I was here there was something different about it. Travel seemed easier; commuters were friendlier and even in shops/restaurants/bars staff seemed more helpful. London just seemed nicer.

Now, at just a few days after it’s all ended I can already feel the change in people and the capital.

My views on the closing ceremony really changed in the lead up to the event and on the day. At first I was excited to be at such an important event, if a tad unsure of the whole Coldplay aspect of it. Then I got super excited when Rihanna was mentioned, and again when rumours about Jay-Z started. However, after attending events and arriving to Stratford on the day I was more moved about the whole thing. How well athletes had done, how people’s views of those less abled were changing and how this was such a historic evening – regardless of which music stars it featured. That wasn’t what mattered here.

After eating and drinking in the Westfield shopping centre we made our way into the Olympic Park itself. Where we were quite disappointed to see that the 2012 Superstore was closed – my boyfriend had been planning a few purchases. As usual the Games Makers were their super-enthusiastic selves and there was a super atmosphere building. Being typical me I was a bit disappointed to see the sun had gone in and it was getting quite chilly. The last time we’d been at the venue it was overcast and I was hoping to nab some brighter photos of the various areas and buildings (everything looks better in the sun!)

Once we made our way to the Olympic stadium (to be our first and last visit), we decided we’d better get a drink quickly before entering. Outside we’d seen those beer men who carry draught beer on their backs, like you get at gigs, however within the grounds of the stadium there didn’t seem to be any. So we ended up joining a very long queue to wait for something alcoholic – not many of the stands seemed to be offering alcohol and it wasn’t all that clear which ones did.

Eventually we made our way into the stadium with just 10 minutes to go before the ‘pre-show’ and sat down to read through our guide we’d been given on the evening’s running order and what things meant in line with the ceremony’s theme.

We were up high – around 6 rows or so from the very back/top of the stadium, but we were seated near the Olympic Torch and the way the stadium is designed I didn’t feel funny headed from the height (as I’ve often felt up high at Wembley or the o2). Also our view was great; we could take it all in.

Later on – when the musical acts were on, we discovered where we were seated the artists had their backs to us and were hidden by a giant staircase. Again though, this wasn’t what the ceremony was all about and it didn’t bother us or spoil our experience.
So I’ve heard people since talk about the ceremony (after seeing it on television in the UK) that it was ‘just a Coldplay concert’. Believe me if you were there, this was far from the case. The Festival of Flame theme covered various seasons and was all about coming together – the Paralympic athletes were seated in the main arena so they were in the middle of all the action and there was constantly something going on – you just didn’t know where to look next.

Aerial acrobatics, a crop circle, a Help for Heroes tribute, a taster of Rio 2016, giant floats and items made from scrap metal, a heart of flames surrounding all the participating country flags, fireworks, the list is endless.

I also acquired a friend for the evening in the little girl sat next to me. A young girl with Downs Syndrome, named Ray (I think short for Ramona), grabbed onto my arm as soon as I sat down and wouldn’t let go. She was worried how cold I was and was trying to warm me up and continued to look after me throughout the event – pulling down my chair when it was time to sit down after any anthems, talking to me about what was happening and telling me she loved me. Bless her, she was such a lovely child and her poor Dad kept worrying she was annoying me and kept a watchful eye!

Later on she did call Trev (my boyfriend) her boyfriend and I laughed and told her she could have him!

Throughout the whole evening I felt very emotional. It was such a nice feeling in the stadium and you just felt so proud to be a part of it.

At times you just felt so sad this ceremony was signifying the end of it all – when the torch went out for instance, but then you were also mesmerised by seeing Paralympic athletes Ellie Simmonds and Jonnie Peacock and the display that followed.

Once it was all over we stayed in the stadium for a short while just taking it in and then began our journey home. Again I was expecting a nightmare experience getting into the station and the train ride home – everything flowed perfectly. Yes there were crowds but we just moved along slowly and a train arrived pretty quickly where we got a seat in an almost empty carriage.

I will never forget our experiences of the Paralympics and am so pleased my boyfriend got us tickets and I made the effort to go enjoy it, rather than remain the cynical commuter I had been previously. The Paralympics brought it all – a change in opinion, a pride to be British, tears, smiles and fireworks – no wonder people are calling it the most best Paralympics ever!

Melican at the Paralympics: Part 2

I think most people would agree a kind of sad lull has fallen over the UK, in particular London, this week. The event everyone was moaning about and worrying about its impact actually had us all coming together and celebrating what it meant to be British. London 2012 – the Olympics and Paralympics.

A bit of a latecomer to the party, I attended the Paralympics just before it all finished, but I am so glad I did. What an experience.

As I blogged previously my first experience was at the Olympic Park at Stratford and all on offer there. However, my second visit was quite different.

On Saturday 8th September my boyfriend and I attended the Paralympics at the Excel Centre. Again, we were using day passes (allowing you access to various events if there are seats available). This time we were allowed to see Wheelchair Fencing, Boccia and Wheelchair Table Tennis.

We ended up seeing all three – with Boccia without a doubt definitely our favourite. We saw two games – one where GB were aiming for Bronze and the other where GB were aiming for Gold. The second was GB v Thailand and Thailand won. We all know by now how much I love Thailand so I told my boyfriend I would be happy whoever won. Pattaya Tadtong – who won – was so happy when he got Gold, it was very emotional to be there and an amazing experience.

It was funny though – the day was a real mixture of emotions and experiences. On the way to the Excel Centre we ended up going via the Royal Docks and really appreciated how beautiful London can be and how being from here you can really take it for granted. The Games Makers were as friendly and enthusiastic as ever, but unfortunately some staff in the Excel centre weren’t quite so cheerful!

When we went to watch Boccia the first time the seats were in an awful position so we moved and then one of the staff were fantastic and came to find us to say they’d spotted a better seat for us – what service! However, on going to watch the Wheelchair Table Tennis, one of the men’s attitude left a lot to be desired and just gave off a real air of not wanting to be there. He kept telling people very abruptly how they must not go past a certain seat and was getting people to get up and move to the very end of a row (for no reason there were loads of empty seats!) A real shame and the only one we experienced.

I also found the Excel didn’t have the same buzz about it as the Olympic Park – I guess understandable when you consider the size difference. Although once you were in the events themselves you could feel the atmosphere again. We even got to see a medal ceremony for the Boccia which was fantastic to watch and again had my emotions going!

After we’d finished at the Excel (after around 5 hours) we decided to try out the cable car from the Royal Docks to North Greenwich. I’d really recommend it actually. The ride itself only lasts around 5 minutes, but it’s priced pretty reasonably and even the huge queue we joined moved quickly. You get great views, particularly if you’re up there on a sunny day like we were.

We munched down some food and drink at the o2 and then made our way home – exhausted. Then it was off to bed that night ready for the excitement of the next day – the closing ceremony!

Melican at the Paralympics

Last weekend saw me doing something I was admittedly doubtful I would ever do. In the past I’d complained about it and was dubious as to how spectacular it would be. But I did it.

On Saturday I visited the Olympic Park.

Back when everyone was trying to get tickets to London2012 (you know when everyone complained and it was labelled a bit of a shambles as ‘nobody’ could get tickets, you didn’t even know what events you’d get etc…), my boyfriend asked me if I’d like to go. My response was pretty much ‘Do what you want, I’m not bothered’, so he went about applying for tickets (about £300 worth I believe).

What happened? He got nothing for the Olympics and then received two sets of day passes – one for the Olympic Park, during the Paralympics, and one for the Excel Centre, during the Paralympics. No set events tickets and those he did have were for the Paralympics. He also got closing ceremony tickets to the Paralympics he informed me with a smile on his face.

I didn’t feel much excitement - scrap that – any excitement at this news, I wasn’t fussed about the Olympics anyway, it was primarily being hosted in the ‘dump’ that is Stratford (sorry if you live there…and yes, I do realise I live in Essex and can’t really talk!...) Ashamed as I am to admit this, I also felt disappointment that what he’d go wasn’t even for the ‘proper’ Olympics, and in fact for the Paralympics. Yes I know, what an awful thing to say or think. But there, it’s out there, that was my honest reaction.

Fast forward to July and my thoughts on the Olympics and Paralympics were still somewhat Scrooge-like and my main concerns were the impact it was going to have on my journey to and from work and that I hoped it didn’t cause delays to my journey to the airport for my holiday in Thailand for my 30th!

As it was – as much as I hate to admit it – I thought London coped pretty well with this major event and the floods of tourists and additional people in and around the Olympics venues. I rarely experienced any delays or problems on my trains (no more than usual anyway!) and everything did seem to be ready on time and go to plan.

I came back from Thailand super relaxed, if a little depressed at being back in boring Britain and not in a stunning tropical island setting, and realised pretty soon we were due to go to the Paralympics. The only thing this filled me with was dread – ever since I got back from holiday my time has been filled with eating and drinking out constantly and not getting enough sleep. My boyfriend informed me we had some sort of plans on Saturday evening (which turned out to be a great birthday surprise) so we need an early start so we could see things at the Paralympics and get back home in time. Great – less sleep, again.

One saviour in all this was information from my Olympics-obsessed boss that although we had ‘day passes’ this did actually allow you access into events. Finally a little flicker of interest started to appear. Hm maybe I might in some way enjoy this?

Waking up at 730am on Saturday I did not feel this way. I just wanted to stay in bed and couldn’t be bothered to make the journey to Stratford (which is only a 5 minute bus ride and a 20 minutes train ride away). Off we went – my boyfriend dressed in suitable GB attire, me wearing a blue and white striped top (and a red ring on my finger – in a poor attempt to wear red, white and blue).

Unfortunately the day we went was so miserable weather-wise, the sky was grey and everything looked dark. Not ideal for Little Miss Sun-worshipper me! I always think wherever you go, when you visit places, they always look better in the sun. My words to my boyfriend as we walked out of the station and down the avenue towards the entrance were something along the lines of “Seriously though if you were a tourist or from abroad and you were met with this wouldn’t you be a bit unimpressed and think what a sh**hole?” He was not impressed.

My lack of enthusiasm continued as we queued to get through security and I had my arms crossed (to keep me warm honestly!) and I yawned non-stop. Unexpectedly friendly and enthusiastic staff did start to melt my ice maiden mood somewhat, but I felt no excitement at getting in and walking through the entrance. What was wrong with me??

We walked around the Olympic Park – past some of the now well-known sites – the aquatics centre, the velodrome, the hideous Orbit (sorry but I just don’t get it, as I said to my boyfriend “If I asked someone to design an iconic structure for a such an important historic event and I got that I’d be fuming!”), McDonalds(!) and more I was impressed at the size of the park itself but nothing more. My boyfriend accused me of being a ‘typical Brit’ for being miserable and not getting into the spirit.

Then we walked towards the Copper Box and saw that there were seats available for Goalball and we decided to go in and give it a go…

That is when I changed.

First off – day passes – are such a good idea. On first impression you may have thought – like me – that these were simply to get you into the main Olympic Park area and give you a chance to walk round and take a few photos, just to say ‘I was there’. But the whole idea of day passes is to give you a chance to go into the Olympic Park and yes walk round and see things/purchase Olympics merchandise, but then also have access to a select number of events. On the day we went we had a choice of Goalball, Wheelchair Basketball, Wheelchair tennis and Football. These involve 4 venues within the park – the Copper Box, Basketball Arena, Eton Manor and Riverbank Arena. Outside each venue is ticker displaying information and if there are ‘day pass’ seats available. To be honest I actually found this way of attending much better – I don’t think I’d be too keen on staying in one place for one event only.

Anyway, so back to Goalball. This involves participants with vision impairment, which varies between players so everyone has to wear dark shaded glasses to ensure they are all at the same level of sight (or lack of) to make things fair. There are 3 people on each team – we were lucky and got to see GB vs Sweden (we drew!) and the aim is to get a goal from throwing the ball from one end of the pitch to the other into the goal, players block the ball with their body and can only tell where it is by the sound of the rubber ball hitting the floor and the bells within it. Because of this you have to silent – the whole arena in which it’s played has to be silent during play.

I’m not sure if it’s the amazing skill of the players, the fact you’re at a historic event, or the way the whole buzz and chatter completely stops when that whistle blows, but this game is spellbinding. You just can’t take your eyes off what’s playing in front of you. I loved it.

After Goalball, we then walked round the park a bit more and headed over to the Basketball Arena. This was very busy, but we still managed to find a seat and saw the second half of a men’s game between Turkey and Italy. And then to our delight realised a GB match was coming up – Ladies GB against Ladies Brazil. Again the atmosphere was great, although I must admit the American-theme on things (which I know is part of basketball) did start to grate on me a little – the ‘host’ getting people to dance on camera, ‘play the bongos’ and use the ‘clapometer’. Don’t get me wrong for families and tourists it’d be great, but after a few times, it just got on my nerves!

After basketball (and grabbing some lunch) we headed off for another walk and after viewing the Park Live area we walked to Eton Manor for the tennis. Yes the lunch was expensive, but it tasted great and to be fair it’s no different to any other event or festival food and drink. Conscious of time, we didn’t sit in a particular court for long to watch the tennis, but instead poked our heads in on a few games to experience it at least. Unfortunately the football had no seats left and we had to leave the park in order to get back in time for my surprise. However, we’d been there for over 6 hours at this point so felt we’d ‘got our money’s worth’ and seen quite a lot.

I left the park feeling happy, impressed and inspired. In fact, I would even go so far to say I think we’re the lucky ones with our Paralympics tickets. I’m sure the Olympics were an indescribable experience don’t get me wrong – but what we got to see was something even more special and I’m glad the Paralympics have proven to be such a big hit for the Games.

I’m now looking forward to our next visit – a very pleasant surprise. Oh didn’t I mention? We’ve got another day pass for the Excel Centre this Saturday – where I believe we can see Boccia, wheelchair table tennis and wheelchair fencing. And then on Sunday evening we’re off to the closing ceremony – which is currently said to feature the likes of Coldplay, Rihanna and Jay-Z. I am so excited! I have a feeling it’s all going to be very moving too, so am hoping I don’t get all tearful!!

My view on London2012 – to be continued…

London Olympics: 2 days to go

Whether you are overcome with British pride, counting down the days until it’s over or bursting with excitement, you can’t escape the fact that the Olympics are starting in two days. In London.

This morning the Olympic lanes officially came into force and practice opening ceremony run-throughs have already started.

Admittedly it could be said I have been more a member of the moan-about-everything group of Brits for the majority of the build-up to this historic sporting event. I can appreciate the importance of it – the sense of achievement for competitors, the tourism benefits it will bring to the capital, everyone coming together and taking pride in the country.

However, as someone who works in London I also see the nightmare it is going to cause for commuting to and from work, the impact it will have on my clients, even more packed and stuffy trains, tons of tourists everywhere and major delays to get anywhere. I’m also a tad fed up of everywhere I go having something Olympics-related thrust in my face or shouted at me over an announcement system.

Being driven into work this morning for client go lives I also got rather fed up again as I realised how much more traffic there was on the roads coming into London even around 530am (and the Olympic lanes didn’t open until 6am). This annoys me as it’s already early enough to get up without having to get up even earlier to arrive into work for the same time (or potentially later) on these days.

On going home last night I noticed the screens at Liverpool Street kindly letting me know that on Friday (the opening ceremony) we should note that trains will be running with at least 2 hour delays. Great, so I’ll just start my weekend 3-4 hours later then shall I. As for commuting during normal hours Monday onwards (we work 9am-6pm) I dread to think how that is going to go, Greater Anglia can hardly run a good service as it is now. Yesterday the trains were running more slowly due to the hot weather and some trains weren’t stopping at my station.

We have tickets to the closing ceremony of the Paralympics in September and also some tickets to grant us access around the Olympic Park and some general information events at the Excel Centre. My boyfriend purchased them whilst I was sulking I wasn’t bothered about the whole thing! The tickets and information packs arrived recently and to be honest I still didn’t feel that excited or interested.

However, on Sunday the Olympic torch came to the area I grew up in and something changed. I think for the Queen’s Jubilee there were one or two parties in the area but not much happened apart from a little bit of bunting going up.

As we arrived on the main road where the torch would feature this weekend, the pavements were lined – families and friends I haven’t seen since I lived on the estate were there, neighbours were there, some people had picnics, most had flags. A man was coming out of his house offering everyone cold cans of beer, people on crutches, in wheelchairs and on sticks all hobbled out (including my Mum recovering from her broken leg!) Families sat on picnic blankets, people brought up their own chairs, gardens opened up for parties, flags were waved and cheers called out.

It was fantastic. It was such a lovely lovely atmosphere. I thought how nice it was and how different it was to have everyone come together like that. I was proud of our country and genuinely excited about this historic event happening and my own area featuring in it in some way. I took tons of photos and smiled, cheered and flag-waved my way through the event.

Check out the Olympic torch video courtesy of my boyfriend to see some of it for yourselves.

Of course Monday came; I listened to Boris booming out at the station about the Olympics, the train driver telling me Stratford is home to the Olympic Park, saw the Olympic mascot figures dotted around everywhere and heard fellow commuters discussing delay rumours they’ve heard and my dread for this London 2012 event reappeared. Well, after all, I am British, complaining’s what we do!