Here are some photos of our tickets.  Normally the ticket for the back tour of the Olympic Village is torn up.  We were lucky to have it kept in one piece.  The parents were not even allowed, we had to have our passports and were escorted at all times.  I got to see where the athletes ate, slept and had fun with their team mates.  Each county had their own Village.

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This is the best way to get around the city and outskirts of London. For an all day pass that you can use on any lines is about $10. It is quick and was not very crowded. The doors open for only about 30 seconds or less at the stops and you avoid all of the traffic. We went on the Underground with McDonald’s on Saturday to the Olympic Park and it only took us 20 minutes. It dropped us off right outside of the Olympic Park. If I lived in London, I would not buy a car.

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The current in the walls is not the same as in the USA and you have to use an adapter for any appliance or charger. There are no switches or plugs in the bathrooms. The tubs are really tall and made to look bigger by raising them up off the floor. The chocolate does not taste the same as here. It is richer and feels thicker in your mouth. The money they use is called pounds and pence. We call it dollars and cents. The conversion rate is 1 British pound = 1.5551 U.S. dollars. It is expensive and you have to do the math in your head to see how much it really costs in dollars. So for example is might say One pound which is US $1.50. They drive on the other side of the road and the steering wheel is also on the other side. There are a lot of small grocery stores which cater to a specific county and ethnic food. We saw one store that had only food imported from Russia. It is a melting pot of many different backgrounds. Did not see a Wal-Mart!

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My mom, Hazel, was a swimmer in South Africa who had several world records for her age. At that time South Africa did not participate in the Olympics. She was asked by Jack Nelson at the Hall of Fame In Ft. Lauderdale , Florida to come and train here for the Olympics. Mark Spitz called her, “Little Spitz” and the photos are of him being the commentator at a swim suit fashion show staring my mom at the Nautilus Dive Shop in Boca Raton. When we landed at Heathrow Airport we saw his plaque and snapped a photo of it. Due to knee surgery, my mom was unable to swim in the Olympic Trials. Today she still has her passion for swimming and has given swim lessons to hundreds of kids. I am proud to say I get to help her and have enjoyed seeing the kids enjoy the passion and fun for swimming like my mom and I have. It was great to go to the swimming event and see Michael Phelps swim…perhaps one day I will be there for my butterfly. I also got to meet Dara Torres at the medal ceremony McDonald’s have for all the kids.

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The Palace was smaller than I thought is would be and was so close and open to the public. There were two guards posted and they did a ceremonial walk while I was there. They have to stand in one place for two hours and only move when their legs get stiff. When we went their on Monday, the Queen, who was at the swimming event I went to, was in Scotland. The next day they were selling tickets for a tour of some of the rooms. There was a lot of gold on the gates and statues. All of the light posts had crowns on the top of them. The palace is surrounded by parks that are open to the public.

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Mom went to Piccadilly Circus when we went to the Archery and medal ceremony. There were all kinds of flags decorating the streets and they had shops just like the ones in the USA. There was a theater district, lots of statues…some of them even real…can you tell which ones they are? The horse mom met was named, “Hot Dog”.

This is the BBC broadcasting studio that was right outside of the McDonald’s that we ate at.  It is so neat to be back home and see the views from their studio.  I still can’t believe that I was there…I walked right by their building.

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We had dinner right by the London Bridge and Big Ben. The Olympic Rings on the bridge were breathtaking.  Do you know why the bridge has blue paint on it?  It is the Queen’s favorite color!