An old flame drops in....
Jul 21, 2012 17:47:36 GMT
Post by patricklondon on Jul 21, 2012 17:47:36 GMT
The stories associated with the Olympics haven't done much to soften most Londoners' habitual weary cynicism, but the hoopla around the torch relay, which seems to have been working elsewhere in the country, might just have begun to warm up the mood with the weather.
Today it was wending its way through various parts of East London, including the Mile End Road, a mere bus ride away from where I live.
With half an hour to go before its likely passage past the tube station, there was hardly a crowd gathering, but certainly more than would usually suggest old-fashioned "loitering with intent". But it wasn't long before the road was lined three or more deep, the whistles that seem an unavoidable mark of public celebration these days, and the blow-up advertising batons being given out by sponsors, were making a noticeable din, and the traffic was stopped.
Eventually, a convoy of cars and buses appeared, then the commercial part of the parade with sponsors' floats (Samsung advertising, rather than chucking out free samples of, their latest smartphone - this is the Olympics, you know, not the Tour de France), and their cheerleaders:
What looked like a horsebox halted outside the tube station, and there was a pause while cameramen clustered round it and everyone strained to see what was happening. Perhaps the torch itself was changing hands to a new bearer, because in a matter of seconds, one last van led the torch, bearer and accompanying security team as they almost sprinted past, and vanished away down the road.
You might just catch a glimpse of the torch at the end of the video:
You can see more of how the relay's gone across these islands (yes, south of the border, in Dublin, too) at
www.guardian.co.uk/sport/interactive/2012/may/18/olympic-torch-route-map-london-2012
Today it was wending its way through various parts of East London, including the Mile End Road, a mere bus ride away from where I live.
With half an hour to go before its likely passage past the tube station, there was hardly a crowd gathering, but certainly more than would usually suggest old-fashioned "loitering with intent". But it wasn't long before the road was lined three or more deep, the whistles that seem an unavoidable mark of public celebration these days, and the blow-up advertising batons being given out by sponsors, were making a noticeable din, and the traffic was stopped.
Eventually, a convoy of cars and buses appeared, then the commercial part of the parade with sponsors' floats (Samsung advertising, rather than chucking out free samples of, their latest smartphone - this is the Olympics, you know, not the Tour de France), and their cheerleaders:
What looked like a horsebox halted outside the tube station, and there was a pause while cameramen clustered round it and everyone strained to see what was happening. Perhaps the torch itself was changing hands to a new bearer, because in a matter of seconds, one last van led the torch, bearer and accompanying security team as they almost sprinted past, and vanished away down the road.
You might just catch a glimpse of the torch at the end of the video:
You can see more of how the relay's gone across these islands (yes, south of the border, in Dublin, too) at
www.guardian.co.uk/sport/interactive/2012/may/18/olympic-torch-route-map-london-2012
Local heroes should be showcased more often than once every 4 years and for more than 300 yards.