Livvy and I had the opportunity to go and see an Olympic event on the first full day of Olympic action. It was women's volleyball, which was perfect since I love volleyball and since I thought Livvy would enjoy seeing women play more than men. It was Japan playing Algeria.
Our seats were in the Japan fan section. Everyone was decked out in Japanese attire, there were a ton of Japanese flags and even a number of people dressed up like Samurais. Livvy decided early on that we were going to cheer for Japan, which was a great choice since Japan was clearly the better team and you don't want to be cheering against Japan when there is a Samurai sitting next to you--always a dangerous move.
There was a lot of excitement and cheering, and it was quite contagious. Even Livvy got really excited and cheered very energetically for Japan for most of the match.
The tickets were actually for 2 matches. China was playing in the second match, which would have been fun to see. However, Livvy had had enough volleyball, so we took the Tube over to Hyde Park. We had a nice stroll through Hyde Park and went to the Hyde Park BT London Live site, where they have I believe 6 huge screens showing Olympic action, food, and games. Livvy and I had a lot of fun hanging out and watching additional events there before heading home.
I had been worried about how Livvy would do at the Olympics since it was quite the trek out there, we had to leave at about 6:30 am, we walked a lot, and we had to wait in line a while to get our tickets before the event. However, she did awesome!! She did so great that I let her pick out a treat on our way back that we took home to share with Vindie and Jude.
All in all, it was a very fun and memorable daddy/daughter date that I'm sure Livvy and I will remember for many years to come. Between watching the Olympic opening ceremony at the Visa Olympic VIP Lounge here in London, watching the torch go through our town as well as past the Tower of London on the Thames, and now watching an Olympic event live and seeing the festivities at Hyde Park, I'd say we've definitely taken advantage of our fair share of the Olympic festivities, which has been a lot of fun.
This has definitely been an amazing summer to be in England due to the Queen's Diamond Jubilee celebration, an exciting Wimbledon, and now the Olympics. This summer alone we've been to Scotland and Wales, all over England, and had a wonderful 2 week trip in Italy. We also saw an amazing Les Miz performance, and had a number of family members visit. We are finishing up our summer here with a bang with trips planned to go see Stonehenge, Bath, the Cotswolds, and Cambridge, amongst other places. Summer 2012 will be a tough one to beat, but this blog will hopefully help us keep the memories alive for many years to come.
