Yesterday I travelled to London for the first technical rehearsal of the opening ceremony. This is quite a long post, as I have tried to describe the practicalities of travelling to the Olympic Park.
The journey to London wasn't too bad. We had decided to drive part of the way and then catch the train from a station closer to London, as the last train home to my local station leaves London far too early and we would have missed half of the ceremony. When we arrived at London Bridge station I was disconcerted to see armed police patrolling; I know they are there for our safety and security but somehow it just makes me feel uncomfortable and not reassured at all.
From London Bridge we went on the Jubilee line straight to Stratford station, which was very straightforward but very busy. At Stratford station there is lots of signage and stewards around to point you in the right direction for the Olympic Park.
It was very easy to find the Accessible Shuttle bus to the Olympic Park and there was plenty of seating in the shade in waiting area. The Shuttle bus had enough space for tying down 4 wheelchairs and had about a dozen seats. The bus had to stop at a security checkpoint, which was run by Army personnel. The check was very thorough and included looking under the bonnet, mirror checks under the vehicle and the roof. Even the wheelchair ramp was deployed and examined, and the interior was also checked. Apparently, each vehicle has to be checked each time it enters the Olympic Park, and it is worth noting that this adds to the journey time. It all ran very smoothly and we were soon dropped off at the entrance to the Olympic Park.
This is where we ran in to our first problem. I needed to pick up the tickets from the Box Office and I was surprised to see such a small Box Office. It was basically 2 portacabins placed back to back with about 6 windows for serving customers on each side. We queued for 50 mins in the full sun to collect the tickets, so if you are going to the Games and will be collecting your tickets there, be prepared for a long queue in a very exposed area. I'm pleased it was such lovely weather yesterday and I was glad I had taken a hat, sunglasses and sunscreen with me.
Once the tickets were in my hand, we went straight to the security check-in which was very similar to airport security. There was a separate area for disabled people which meant we didn't have to wait as long as everybody else. In fact I went straight through with no waiting. Again, it was Army personnel doing the security checks. Our bags were scanned and we went through a scanner and had a light pat-down, and that was it. I can't comment on the security checks for AB's.
If you are planning to go to the Olympic Park, I would warn you that once you go through the ticket barriers into the Olympic Stadium area, you can't get back into the wider Olympic Park. So if you fancy walking around the Park, you need to do this before handing your tickets over. The wider Olympic Park has a huge MacDonalds (what a shame, I missed it >lol<) and a large shop selling Olympic souvenirs.
In the Olympic Stadium area, there are loads of eateries ranging from Indian & Asian, to Ice creams and Pasties. The price of the food and drink was what I expected to be paying in London.
There were plenty of toilet facilities and no queues!
I had booked wheelchair accessible seating and I couldn't have wished for a better seat. The seats are at the front of the first tier allowing a really fantastic view of the stadium. At each wheelchair space there is a seat for a companion. The access is good and the seats are spacious.
Now for the show itself! Danny Boyle requested that we keep the content of the ceremony to ourselves so that we don't spoil the surprise, so I won't be going into any details here. All I will say is that it was awesome. I don't think that is a word I have used before, but I think it best describes the whole experience. I hadn't known what to expect, and to be honest I'm not usually one for shows, however this was so spectacular and so very cleverly choreographed, that I couldn't fail to be impressed.
I had to leave at 10pm (it was due to finish at 10.15, and they were behind schedule) so I missed the last bits and the grand finale. So, I will definitely watch the opening ceremony on iplayer when it's on to see those bits I missed. I'm not usually excited by this sort of thing, but seeing the rehearsal has whetted my appetite and I would recommend watching it, or at least catching the highlights if you can.
It is stunning and I'm so glad I made the effort to go.
I didn't get home until 2am. When we left the stadium at 10pm, quite a lot of people were doing the same. The trains were packed and I dread to think what would have happened if we had left with everyone else at the end. I do have reservations about how well the transport system will cope with the volume of people arriving and leaving the Olympic venues at the same time. If you are travelling to the Games, ensure you leave ample time for your journey. It will be hectic.
My overall impression of the Olympic Park is very good. I hope the Games go well, and I'm sure that anyone going to spectate will have a great time!
