London 2012: Olympic everyday woman’s eyes

I love to travel savage. I try to see the country "around the angle" of the postcard attractions and feel the flavor of the local life.
I live in the UK – a cute English village near London. Engage in the development of interesting routes.

It can be said that in general the city is decorated, although it is not immediately noticeable. Olympisk flags and garlands have been ripened, someone installed single-eyed monsters (symbol of the current Olympiad I call one-eyed leisher 21st century, frankly terrible unknown animal!), the metro raised signs and arrows indicating and directed to the main Olympic and traditional English attractions. Chambers and arrows of a strange pink color, as if Barbie took the main PR player to work, but judging by the confusion of tourists and their issues, even this bright and ridiculous color does not particularly help tourists to navigate in space. But we must pay tribute to this city – no decorations are not able to compete with his ancient stones and streets – no patriotic garlands, nor oximacy cyclops, nor even Christmas lights. Only lights and flowers are accepted in the Allies.

On the opening day, the Olympiad promised rain, but, apparently, the thunderstorm clouds shot somewhere on the approaches to the Thame. Friday was warm and comfortable. And from the next day, clouds switched to the counterattack, sometimes they retired, but infrequently and briefly. English meteorological service all the spring warned about an unprecedented summer drought, but so far it is close to that! Once again made sure that the predictors of meteorologists . so-so, "on Troychka".

For the time of sporting events, many bus routes and the metro work were changed, a lot of streets are blocked, highlighted special stripes on the roads – Olympic Lanes,. Taxi drivers and drivers of public transport (a / b, railway, metro) managed to interrupt and knock out their own specials. Increased rates for salaries during the Olympic Games. Now they just work. Shops also changed their schedules, but they reported not about closure, but about the extension of the working day in their vending points. At the same time, everyone asked not to melt under his feet, namely, not to go to the city without any hope (if not on games, probably) and especially in their transport, but shopping do on-line or in their local shopping centers. Many really left the city. As they say, everything was done for the convenience of their majesty tourists. But tourists contrary to expectations, they also decided not to hurry and come when the hype and prices will fall. Therefore, on Monday, the first working day of the week the city looked strange and very atypically: in the subway freely, the streets are empty, rare buses are passing along Olympista stripes, taxi drivers are missing near hotels, which turned out to be half blank (information from the primary sources). Despite the fact that attacks in the subway were really not observed, and the Olympic bands were unclaimed, the subway worked with delays, and the traffic jams were still on the part of the road that remained in the use of ordinary mortals (mainly due to the fact that the streets blocked).

All the same way looked on Friday, when I went to a volleyball match.
The start of the game began in the ticket (early morning) and the recommendation to arrive at the stadium of an hour 2 before the start, to have time to pass safety and defend the turns to the toilet or for sausage with water. I am not capable of such a feat, so I was ready to dispense a little and skip the beginning of the game. I have not taken into account that I will have to wait for your train in the subway 20 minutes, and then still hang around between stations for 5-10 minutes in anticipation when technical problems will be eliminated somewhere on the line. Everything else, I decided to take advantage of "Barbie" and its pink signs pointer to get to get out of the subway and get to the Earl’s Court exhibition complex, where all volleyball players are held. In vain I did it! Pointers sent me straight in the opposite direction – where I could use the shuttle and get to the wind to the destination. You did not want to pay extra money, so I had to spend 10 minutes on sports walking. Go in the opposite direction, not paying attention to "Tips", would send straight to the exhibition center. As a result, I was late than on the planned half an hour, irritated irritation, an annoyance was mixed up for him, which I can be late for our game!

But there were no queues, and I was allergic! I even decided to capture the army "Guard order" against the background of the Olympic facility, somehow he wonly looked in military uniform with red "Flower" In red hair on the background of pink and orange orange scenery. Politely asked him permission, and he thought that I want to take a picture with him. I was uncomfortable to refuse. Already later, at the exit, I captured another one handsome. Unlike Russian police and representatives of the Armed Forces, the local guys are very friendly and smiling. One pleasant to photograph!

After passing the security control (without it in our time, nowhere! Only in the bakery can go) I got inside and heard applause and music. Thinking that the winners are already going on with might and main, it rushed to look for his sector. But everything turned out to be much more prosaic – scored the next ball.
Well, we got to the game!
I could buy tickets for qualifying matches Brazil-China and Russia-Japan.
As I understood, the contest began a little later than was specified in the ticket, so I missed much. Moreover, our battle was still ahead.
I will make a small digression about tickets. On the qualifying matches, their price was small – from 20 to 65 pounds (in rubles it is from 1000 to 3300 rubles.). Therefore, the hall was filled almost completely. In addition to my sector. It turned out that I got into an accredited zone. I have already mentioned that the decision to visit the Olympics was taken on her day. And although on the official website hung information about the availability of tickets, it was not possible to buy them. Only after the scandal for empty stands occurred, the tickets reserved for sale were thrown on sale "Self" (or as they are also called here – corporate tickets). Here is a ticket for me and caught. Probably, earlier this sector was booked for the delegation of the Krasnodar Territory, which, because of the Crimean, the Olympics broke. Ahead of me were absolutely empty 8 first rows, for which soldiers were periodically embarrassed, as well as some people with Badzhiki. Their happening on the field was not interested, they or something whispering among themselves, or studied some kind of questions, bolding into the paper. According to their sullen physiognomy and involuntary reactions to my cries, these people were very quickly identified as my compatriots. Sorry, smiling Pugs of English soldiers are much nicer and humane.

The game itself (if it is not a bullshit, and the athletes are really configured to fight) captures much stronger than its viewing on TV.
In real life, it becomes clear what kind of magical is a box – TV! From the blue screen and with turns of newspapers everything seems more and spectable. In fact, the show is much more modest and not so large! In addition, it is a pity that the media dictates their own rules for showing the show, including sports. Some moments irritated and distracted from sports as such.
For example, after each (!) The goal begins to play music, and Chier Girls (Cheer Girls) dance around the perimeter of the sports field. Given that in each set (and 5 of them 5), the account goes up to 25-30 points (heads), it is clear why these musical passages are silent! Worse than advertising in the film every 10 minutes! I also noticed that athletes must necessarily be born and patted with palms with each player, and sometimes more with the coach! I, of course, understand – Tim Building, Command Spirit and all that. But Mom is dear! more cotton and hugs are obtained than direct sports televitations in the game! From the point of view of common sense (even even more sporty) it is impractical so useless to spend energy! I’m not saying that it looks too theatrical and unhearsal. And on TV, all this false and distracting musical moments help to form an image of a bright spectacle, exciting consciousness.

My neighbors were an English family with a young fan and a Japanese couple from London. We smiled each other, expressed our respect for both teams and their sports consumer spirit and even photographed all together. Personally, I am for friendship and world around the world.

I was lucky with the game.
I did not know that Brazilian girls have a champion title. But I can not say that they were impressed with something. Although no – I was impressed: Brazilians looked very appetizing, figure sympathets 🙂 Brazil with China played well, but simply. I even thought that some "yard" and "beach" the teams that I saw beat more seriously and with a larger passion. Brazilian team defeated, although the girls from the Middle Kingdom fell on the heels.

But then our "Color girls" came out. and Japanese. Our simply politicus, everything is like on the selection, ahead of only the Blackroom lacked – alone, feet from the ears, the figures awesome, the shells did not discern, but it seems to be nothing on the screen so. Note, if a woman is approvingly expressed about the appearance of another representative of his sex, then this is a convincing confirmation of her beauty.

And I pulled away and gnaw in Russian from the soul – Japanese called a couple of times with confusion (not with the malice, and in admiration) and our chase "come on, come on!", "Well, back!" and "score!"

I must say that all qualifying matches Women’s Russian national volleyball team won. Therefore, it was very unexpected and misunderstanding that their performances ended in a quarter final with that very Brazil. But I’m still grateful to the girls for their game and the pleasure that this battle delivered me. Otherwise, not to say!