London 2012 Let the Games Begin!

After its travel around Great Britain, the flame arrived at Tower Bridge on the night of the Opening Ceremony.  It arrived on the Royal Barge, the Gloriana.  This is the same boat that led the Jubilee Flotilla.  The flame was parked at City Hall waiting for the festivities to begin.
 

We had heard that Tower Bridge was going to play a small part in the ceremony and our new place is pretty close.  For two nights before we had been watching this neon boat go up and down the river.  Sorry about the picture quality.  It was whizzing by!

The night before there were fireworks and lights on Tower Bridge.  I think it was probably rehearsal and filming.   The area was really buzzing.

We decided to watch the Opening Ceremony from the comfort of our living room.  There were a few tickets left, but they were outrageously expensive at $1,500 each.  We had dinner out and enjoyed the festive atmosphere around Tower Bridge. 

As we walked along the river, we spotted this blue screen hiding this conspicuous looking white shroud on a boat.  And it looked like that neon boat we had been seeing. 

We got a sneaky peak and were in on the secret of how the flame would get to the Olympic Stadium. They weren't too happy about me taking photos.  Nobody around was really paying too much attention to what was going on. 

We headed home and got settled in on the couch to watch.

The Red Arrows flew over and the fun began. 

We really loved the show although there were a few times when we were left scratching our heads.  I heard it described as...

"Brilliant, British and Bonkers!"

I'd say that's about right.  There were a few parts that only the British would really get.  But, it was definitely entertaining.  I think my favorite was the Bond segment with the Queen.  We couldn't believe it was really her.  I think it's brilliant that she was game to go along with the joke. 

At one point during the night, we heard fireworks from Tower Bridge and the neon speed boat raced past. We knew it was the torch on its way.  

What we didn't know was that David Beckham was on that boat!  If only I had stayed out by the river longer, I might have spotted David!!

A little bit later in the show we saw this on the screen...

It was amazing to feel like we were in the middle of everything even from our small balcony.  It was a terrific way to kick off The Games. 

xoxo

Selena