Olympic Games: London 2012

During the Olympics, the atmosphere in London was electric! Over two weeks, the city of London was flooded with eager spectators, who came to watch the greatest athletes of our time compete for Gold.

As the curtain fell on London 2012 last week, Great Britain looks back with pride as we place third in the medals table. Let's be honest we are pretty awesome...

For me, looking back on the Games reminds me of sunny days in Hyde Park, evenings glued to the TV and of course my trip to the Olympic Park.

BT London Live - Hyde Park

Hyde Park was a huge highlight for me. My friends and I went down the first weekend and enjoyed the sun, sport and music.


The great thing about London during the Olympics was the FREE ENTRY to Hyde Park, meaning no one missed out on the sporting action. With 5 huge screens showing different sports, live music, and food and drink stalls it made for a great day out, with a great atmosphere.

 

We also got a great surprise performance from McFly! We had no shame singing along, letting everyone around us know we knew every single lyric of every single song - just brilliant!

Olympic Park, Stratford - Olympic Stadium

On Thursday 12 August, I was lucky enough to join my family at the Olympic Park. Walking around the Park was great.

There was so much going on in the Park, you really could spend a whole day enjoying the sport and other activities available. For example, we took a stroll in and around the Coca-Cola Beat Box (click to find out more).

On the top of the Beat Box, we got to hold an official Olympic Torch. Check out some of our photos:

 Interesting fact :

Why does the Olympic torch have 3 sides?

Because it is the third time that London have hosted the Olympics
 

So, we had tickets for some of the Athletic finals, including the men's 200m and 800m finals. Yes, that's right, I got to watch Bolt and Blake fight it out for Gold!! Bolt's display was to rank among the best.

The atmosphere in the stadium was unreal, especially during the men's 200m final. As the athletes took to their lanes there were cheers from 80,000 people. As the athletes took to their starting blocks there was utter silence. In a stadium that big, such silence was extremely surreal. Suddenly, as the opening gun signal was sounded, there was an enormous roar of screams, cheers, horns and flag waving! An incredible moment that I won't forget.

There was a great sense of community and friendliness in the stadium. Huge respect was given to each and every athlete, cheering every country across the finish line. The Olympic Stadium also managed an 80,000 person Mexican wave.

I'm sure we are all finding it hard to survive without the Olympics, but 5 days until the Paralympics start! Time for Mandeville to shine...

 

Brixton Splash Carnival 2012

Celebrating 50 years of Jamaican Independence there was a lot of love around the streets of Brixton this weekend. The free and annual street party - Brixton Splash - came to life on Sunday afternoon.

From the moment we stepped off the tube we were hit with the inviting smell of jerk chicken. Following the overpowering scents, we stumbled across the vibrant crowds filling the streets of Brixton.

The crowd was extremely diverse; along with many from the Jamaican community of SW2, there were plenty of other Londoner's boozing and partying to the brilliant mix of music. From Reggae to Dubstep, the four sound stages on Coldharbour Lane and Atlantic Road entertained the eclectic crowd.

Despite the crowds, the festival was child friendly and all the kids we saw enjoyed themselves. Many were keen to get involved, dancing away on parents shoulders!

This was an awesome celebration and I encourage everyone to get involved! It became extra special this year when Usain Bolt crossed the 100m finished line in 9.63 seconds, achieving a gold medal for his country.

Check out his fans: