Record breaking events galore!

Okay, I agree that we've posted a paucity of "wow" photos this trip. But, to give a little perspective, we're in venues with 100,000 - 10,000 people and a LOT of activity. To give you an idea, heres a run down on the Thursday night athletics. It was a bevy of record breaking events. The men and women are simultaneously competing in the decathlon and the individual events that make up the sport, while medal ceremonies are being conducted. Focusing is a real adult ADD challenge!

Not to mention that most of these Olympians are there breaking SPEED records..... You try catching Usaine Bolt's season best 200-meter run, handily winning another gold, with the two other Jamaican teammates taking silver and bronze! Nearly 100,000 of us stood and cheered.

Fastest man in the world? Bolt's charisma certainly gets him press, but Kenya's Rudisha set a new world record that same night for his 800-meter distance. Hey, I can barely run to the end of the block to catch the mailman, so what do I know about running speed?

While javelins were flying, US won the gold and silver men's decathlon medals, with Cuba winning bronze. As all the decathlon competitors took a congratulatory lap, the men's triple jumpers led us in stadium wide claps as they completed their event. US Christian Taylor won that event, with a world record jump distance, followed closely in points by a US silver.

The women were right there with them. Kenya won the 800 meter and the US just missed bronze. Javelins continued to fly, while the races continued. We stood no less than four times that night to sing the American anthem. I think we've finally agreed on all the words!

So, with so much going on, the option was to focus on the field, not the camera. The image here is the queen as interpreted in a jellybean mosaic (seriously) and some of the 2012 Olympic mascots that are making a hit with the younger set.

We're possibly setting a record for most events seen. Steve's superb logistics, fired by his London tube ap, has been faultless!

Jump so high - crouch so low

Twenty events in 8-days of Olympic viewing makes for a wide variety and allowed us to try a few new things along the way.

Basketball matches were closer than predicted. France beat Nigeria 78:73, when just a few days before the US swamped Nigeria 156:73. The crowd was definitely supporting the underdog. We also saw Great Britain sweat it out with China, while the crowd roared for both sides.

Greco Roman versus Freestyle wrestling differences still alludes us. The guys were easily the most emotional we saw, with heads buried in the mat at match's end. Women's freestyle wrestling is a whole other sport - amazingly strong at barely 100 pounds, much more aggressive and with no hesitation at the match's end.

We're grateful that wrestling wasn't WWF style, but doubt we're going to start following the circuit. Basketball on the other hand, was a different game and lots of fun - with some previous US players showing up on unexpected teams.

Net events

Our Olympic travel planner, Mr. SPK himself, has us zipping all over London for a wide variety events. Sports with nets was a recent theme.

Volleyball - pairs, teams, indoor and outside on the beach - we've seen it all! There were some absolute highlights.

Indoors - The US men's team was terrific. Japan women's went neck and neck for an overtime win over China.

Beach volleyball was held at the beautiful Horses Parade with the US pair facing Brazil. The rain held off until the first volley, then a mist turned into a drizzle and the rain gear came out. Everyone stayed. The energy was phenomenal! The US fans cheered, but the Brazilians were deafening. In the end of an incredibly close game, the US won. It was worth the drenching.

Table tennis - worldwide there is no other sport with more participants. 1.3 billion Chinese might be onto something! But you'll have to believe the judges because the ball moves so FAST you can barely see a thing.

Badminton - Is this the same sport we played in our backyards growing up? Fiercely competitive and countless shuttlecocks later a winner emerges.
Two of the best matches - China beats Korea in both singles and doubles. Do you think we could set up a net on Blue Chip?

Olympic friends and farewell

When we first arrived in London, Laurie and Ron Moss had us as their house guests in Notting Hill before we left for Scotland. Once we returned, we checked into a hotel, but joined back up with them for several events. We couldn't have asked for better hosts and had to include the photo of the four if us.

We also visited with Chris and John Incledon at their Weybridge home. Judith and Arthur Walsh shared a magnificent meal with us, as we reminisced about our time earlier this year in Myanmar.

Our Dutch friends were there to cheer on their country. We toasted Xander and Barbara's recent marriage before all leaving for an evening of record breaking athletics.

Kate Middleton joined us - and about 15,000 others - at the pommel horse. We waved, but alas, we had no time for tea. Maybe next time Kate.

Time with friends at the London Olympics will be remembered longer than any specific events. It's part of what made the time here so special. But now we're happy to be heading home to watch the closing celebration from Boston.

Rio? It's only 4 short years away!

Where do you actually go everyday?

The Olympic events are literally scattered in the city's far corners, with some venues much further afield. Many buildings were already here and retro fitted for these events, with the plan to remove the changes after the games are over. The result may be architecturally less astounding than Beijing, but the upside is simpler travel and much more access to amenities once you arrive.

This isn't to say the buildings are boring - far from it. Each is a combination of staid and quirky, like the Brits themselves.

The Olympic Park is host to eight buildings. Somewhat lackluster by day, the area becomes richly atmospheric as the sun goes down. The Aquatics Center's glass turns an elegant, tranquil gold in the evening, reflecting the River Lea that runs along its side. The nearby bubbled roof, belonging to the Water Polo Arena, has nighttime nautical inspired colored changing lights. The open roofed Olympic Stadium hosts athletics, track and field. Again, not much to speak of during the day, but a varied color light show in the evening.

The red "Orbit Tower" was designed by Anish Kapoor. Officially named the ArcelorMittal Orbit, it cost 29.8 million dollars, 25 million coming from Lakshmi Mittal, Britain's richest man. (Nice to have generously wealthy friends!) Standing 376 feet high, it's taller than the Statue of Liberty, but shorter than the Eiffel Tower or Big Ben. Traveling to the top observatory platform takes 34 seconds, although many people opt to wind their way along its internal circular path. Put together by 4 men without scaffolding, the 2 tons of steel, 63% of which is recycled, is covered in 5,019 gallons of red paint. The overall affect goes from whimsical by day to dramatic at night, when the color comes to life and seems to turn the surrounding sky a rich lavender blue. Although many of the Park buildings will come down, this one is a keeper!

The interior photo here is from the inside of O2 Arena in North Greenwich. Holding up to 20,000, this music venue, is one of the largest venues in Europe and the second largest in the UK. Olympic Gymnastics are here and the light shows between events are amazing! Afterwards, you can suit up and climb to the top of this domed stadium, then celebrate at one of the many restaurants below.

These are just a few of the Olympic venues. The varied shapes and colored lights are reminiscent of the creative architecture associate with buildings all along the Thames - setting the mood for fun. US cities take note!

Kaufman takes on Nessie

Scotland, as part of the UK, is also hosting a portion of the Olympics. We thought we'd escape here for a few bucolic days, returning to London closer to the event finals. Little did we know that Steve would be drafted into a highly secretive, much feared event - wrestling the Loch Ness monster.

Nessie, as she's known in these parts, has long eluded the efforts of scientists and thrill seekers. The Olympic committee thought, why not take this opportunity to leverage some of the worlds most competitive resources?

Using his prowess in process and his cunning insight into what drives behavior, Steve baited Nessie with chocolate ice cream. When she emerged, he pounced. Chalk up another gold for team US - if the SIS ever agrees to let the event go public.

You never know who you'll run into

When we were in Potmos earlier this month, we met this terrific Dutch family who travel at least as much as we do.

The de Meyere's were also planning to be at the Olympics. Phone numbers were exchanged, but original plans seemed doomed. Our phone rang as we passed into the Olympic Village. Among thousands, Carine and Viet were just a few yards behind us!

What are the chances? Olympic magic.

Olympics - Record smashing Day 1

The first day of Olympic competition did not disappoint.

We began with women's weightlifting - one of our favorites. Petite women weighing under 100lbs lift barbells, inching up from 154 to 193lbs in the Snatch and an astonishing 242lbs in the Clean and Jerk.

On to Fencing, which moves at lightning speed. Even with electronic touch scoring and replays in slow-mo, we can barely follow the scoring, but its dynamic, looks amazingly graceful and has long been on Karen's bucket list, so Steve sticks it out.

Swimming at the Olympic Village rounds out the day. The cheers are deafening!

Ryan Lochte (model material handsome) from the US, breaks the 400M medley record at 4:05:15, a full 3 seconds ahead of the other two medal winners. Mark Phelps looked crushed at not medaling. World records were also broken at women's 400 medley (China) and 4x100 meter relay (Australia).

Star power went beyond the Olympians. Kobe Bryant and family were close by for the swimming. Steve disappeared for a while and reemerged from where Michelle Obama, Bill Gates and Mitt Romney were sitting. He insists he was just getting ice cream. Hmmmm.

Olympia 2012 - the Opening

The "Isle of Wonder" opening theme, orchestrated by Danny Boyle of "Slumdog" fame, was indeed wonderful. Very definitely British. Who else could mix bucolic country scenes with the Sex Pistols and parachuting her Majesty in with 007 to save the day.

Miles of athletes paraded through, many encouraged by thundering cheers. Besides adding our voice for team US and the Aussies, the Kaufman's were there for some of our other faves - Bhutan, Fiji, Mongolia, Cambodia, Kenya, Sierra Leone and Cuba.

Stay tuned for more as the games continue!

Olympic Torch Relay

Staying with our London friends, it appeared that the towns people had left and those coming for the Olympics were yet to arrive. That was until 4-PM on Thursday. As if by magic, people appeared, lining the roads 6 deep, to cheer on the Olympic torch relay. Regular folk have been carrying the torch throughout the UK, as shown by the map in this picture.

The strange orange one eyed creature is reportedly the 2012 Olympic mascot.

See you all at the opening ceremony!