During the opening of the 2012 London Olympics, a lot of people were amazed with how James Bond and “the Queen” jumped from a hovering chopper, how David Beckham delivered the Olympic torch, how Mr. Bean delivered his antics in a very momentous event, and how the Olympic Cauldron became the highlight of the ceremonies.
The 2012 Olympic Cauldron was crafted by Thomas Heatherwick. It featured 204 petals made from copper that represented each nation competing in the games. These petals were brought to the Olympic Stadium by each team during the procession of athletes. The petals were attached to the assembly of long pipes located at the center of the stadium.
After the parade of athletes and flags, young athletes carried the Olympic Torch which they used to light some petals and eventually setting off a cascading effect to light all of them. Slowly, the 204 lighted petals rose to form a giant torch.
In celebration of the 2012 London Olympics, an artist has turned a double-decker bus to mimic an athlete doing some push-ups.
Reports say that the 1957 double-deck bus was purchased from an owner located in the Netherlands. The Czech artist installed two big arms, an electric engine, and a good amount of suspension tools and wiring. The bus is now called the London Booster.
The new arm and other mechanics help the six-ton ride move its arms and make it push against the ground. The motion of the arms raises the body of the vehicle in several angles. The bus even groans and plays videos on its windows that have been converted to digital displays.
The artist behind this very creative tribute is David Cerny. He said the push-up is a very common exercise for almost all athletes.
Watch London Booster in action below:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3PG5_bscyE4&feature=player_detailpage
London is all set for the upcoming 2012 Olympics this week. Aside from the athletes and the venues, owners and staff pubs and restaurants are also gearing up for the hoards of tourist flocking to the city. Here are some of the best Olympic eats:
Hackney Pearl
This stylish restaurant is house among art studios and warehouses. It has a very glamorous bar with its interior dominated by the minimalist theme. Drop by to have some coffee or a feast of the seasonal British food.
Jimmy’s Supper Club
The city will be pretty busy and people from different parts of the world will be rushing to London to watch the Olympic Games. If you feel like being different, then look at a different direction to some of the oddest athletic events in London:
Austerity Games in Hackney Marshes
Just before the Olympic Games kick off, Youth Fight For Jobs will be holding anti-capitalist games on July 22 in East London. The group wants to emphasize the expenses of the city to host the games. They have cum-athletic events such as Race to the Bottom and Property High Jump. The group calls for the properties built for the Olympics to serve as affordable housing for locals instead of being managed by the private sector or just being demolished.
World Alternative Games
The organizers of the 2012 London Olympics confirmed recently that contingency tickets for the games will be on sale. There will be more tickets for the games of Archery, Taekwondo, Beach Volleyball, Volleyball, Cycling Road, Basketball, Tennis, Gymnastics Trampoline, and Gymnastics Artistic.
About 50,000 tickets will be made available once the organizers finalized the seating plans for the different venues.
You can check the website for availability of tickets. You can only use Visa cards to purchase the ticket. These tickets are expected to be released daily from now until the time of the 2012 Olympics.
The cable car designed to cross the Thames will be operational by 28 June. This schedule is a month ahead of the upcoming London Olympic Games. The builders have been testing the cable car safety hoping that the GBP 50 million project will be ready before ht official start of the Olympics on 27 July.
The Transport Secretary though, after considering all the reviews and feedback, have given the green light to kick off the operation of the cable car.
The cars will be bring game participants and spectators over the Thames with the trip lasting for just about five minutes.
There is a provision of thirty four cable cars to bring about 2,500 passengers per hour between the Excel Arena just north of the river and the O2 Arena.
Local authorities are also hoping that these gondolas will help revive the east London economy
Last week, an Airbus 319 of the British Airways landed in Cornwall carrying the Olympic Flame from Greece. The Olympic torch has landed, and the London Olympic fever begins.
Now you might have wondered how in the world did they bring the Olympic Torch aboard an airplane? The flame cannot be extinguished and the flight from El. Venizelos in Greece to the Royal Navy Air Base is around four hours.
Apparently British Airways have thought that people might be curious, so the airline company posted pics on how they setup a special seat for the Olympic torch. The BA also assigned fire marshall and had assigned another backup pilot. All bases covered so to say just in case something happens.
The airplane which carried the Olympic Flame was not just about customized seats for the torch but the whole plane was repainted and tagged as The Firefly aptly representing the golden yellow fuselage. The tail of the plane retained the branding of BA.
A London holiday surely is far from being described as cheap by any measure. The daily rates of hotels especially with the approaching London Olympics are skyrocketing. You will also be lucky if you can get a booking for the dates of the games. The travel money too is hard to stretch if you have to eat out every time. There are alternative London accommodations though if you really want to witness the 2012 Olympics:
Bed & Breakfast Club
You will find The Bed & Breakfast Club houses in the more pleasant neighborhoods of London offering rooms of private residences offered for rent. Since you will be occupying a private room, do not expect luxury hotel like conveniences and pampering. It will have the basics though like entertainment system, phone, and twenty four hour check-in. Add to the simple elements the personal touch of the service.
