Posted by holly on Feb 13, 2010 in
Americas,
Blog,
BlogSherpa The opening ceremonies last night were incredible. Watching them at home I was just as blown away with the spectacle that is the Olympics as I always am, but then I take a moment and realize – that’s here. Here here. Like “if I lean far enough out my balcony I can see that”here. Going home on the skytrain yesterday the whole car just burst into the national anthem, a whole bunch of strangers heading to the suburbs and celebrating the true north strong and free.
Now that’s cool.
Vancouver’s ceremony definitely did not disappoint. It’s weird, I think we all have this slight Canadian inferiority complex that expects everything we do to be good, but always has the feeling that someone could have done it better. I know, it’s stupid, but the show last night reminded us all to snap out of it, that we really are awesome and we’re going to prove it to the world. Repeatedly. While wearing a toque. Preferably one shaped like a maple leaf. My favorite moments were the projected whales breaching across the floor of BC Place stadium (oh, and just let me add while I remember, BC Place looked incredible, I kept having to remind myself it has a roof – the first in Olympic history – and that the snow was fake. The parkas worn by all the athletes were definitely not needed as it was probably 25 degrees in there, although Bermuda’s shorts were right on), and the beat poet’s declaration that Canada was here to kick some ass and take names. It reminded me of the Molson Canadian ads from years ago that ended up printed on t-shirts and can most likely still be at least partially recited by 70% of the population. Come on, you know it: “…the beaver is truly a proud and noble animal. A toque is a hat, a chesterfield is a couch, and it is pronounced ‘zed’!”
As a city we were all pretty hyped up for the games before, especially getting behind the torch relay, but after the opening last night, we’re now officially Olympic mad. I work in a mall, and both the Bay and Zellers – the official Olympic apparel suppliers – are packed. I mean hold-on-to-your-children packed. It’s crazier than the last minute Christmas rush to get your Canada mittens and tees, and there was actually a fight over the last scarf when I was in Zellers. It’s like we were all laid back “yeah, I’ll get some of that stuff eventually”, but last night has spurred us and our wallets into action. Personally, I’m one of the true north strong and cheap, so I’m waiting for them to go on sale after the games. But as soon as those markdowns come, you can bet I’m going to look fabulous.
And this is only day one. Tomorrow we get the super fantastic combination of Chinese New Year, with it’s giant parade and great food, and the Olympics, so the roof is going to be blown off this town, that’s for sure!
Tags: BlogSherpa, Canada, Canadian, excitement, Olympics, opening ceremonies, party, pride, shopping, skytrain, the Bay, torch, vancouver
Posted by holly on Feb 12, 2010 in
Americas,
Blog,
BlogSherpa It’s finally here. Vancouver is suddenly in the midst of a giant Christmas-morning buzz, with people walking around with stupidgrins on their faces and talking in that higher-pitched, excited tone usually reserved for large groups of women at a sample sale. Even water cooler talk has gone from “can you believe what happened on Survivor last night?” to “Who’s going to officially light the Olympic cauldron tonight?” In six hours we’ll finally know for sure when the 2010 Olympic Opening Ceremonies get underway. And from the scuttlebutt, it’s going to be huge, with Bryan Adams, Celine Dion, Nelly Furtado and the Canadian Tenors, amongst others who’ve managed to elude the media thus far, and all the pomp and pageantry and showmanship we know and love.
Woke up this morning in time to see Arnold Swartzenegger (that well-known Canadian) wade through the masses of people on the Stanley Park Seawall on his leg of the torch relay. That torch has already done incredible things to unite us as a city and a country, with much larger crowds than expected turning out both to see it run past and also for the concerts and parties surrounding it every night. Yesterday it was really cool as it was running just blocks from my home and, later, just blocks from my work. One of my co workers hopped on the Canada Line Skytrain on her coffee break, saw the torch run past, and got back to work in time. Sweet.
The city already has an electricity that I’ve never felt before, and I think downtown Vancouver buzzes on a normal day. On Tuesday night, before anything had actually started, I was blown away at the vibe the city was giving off already. It felt like Christmas, with more Christmas lights out than there had been in December (I guess a lot of downtown businesses are lighting up to show their support, too) and the city just sparkled. Okay, so I’m a little biased, but I think we have one of the world’s prettiest cities anyway, but combine that with the festivities and it’s incredible. One of the exits of Pacific Center Mall has become a giant Igloo, complete with polar bear statues, and Robson Square is lit up like a rock concert with lighting and pyrotechnics highlighting it’s new ice skating rink and zipline. Man, I would love to do that zipline right through the heart of the city. I don’t think I’ll be able to, the lineups are supposed to be epic, but that would be so cool.
So cool. That pretty much sums it up. As of today, we’re officially an Olympic city forever, and the huge-ass party to end all huge-ass parties kicks off. I can’t wait. We all can’t.
GO CANADA!
Tags: excitement, Olympics, party, torch, vancouver, zipline