London Olympics 2012

 

I have never been the biggest fan of the Olympics, and actually London people in general are not that interested in them either, however this year, because the games are being held in my home town, it is a little different.

On Saturday morning I woke up a little late and switched on the TV to catch the end of the opening ceremony and I was pleasantly surprised.
When I heard that the opening ceremony was being directed by Danny Boyle (a movie director most famous for directing 'Trainspotting' and 'Slum Dog Millionaire') I immediately thought "Oh no! This will be another attempt by Britain to try to look 'cool' in the eyes of the world, which will undoubtedly fall flat on it's face", but this time I was wrong.

It had history, heritage, respect, multi-culturalism and was, on whole, a fantastic representation of everything that is still 'great' about Britain.

However the jewel on the crown for me was the torch lighting ceremony.

The 'Olympic Cauldron' which consisted of 204 copper 'petals' (one to represent each nation taking part in the games) was designed by Thomas Heatherwick, a British designer also recently made famous fro his redesigning of the iconic London bus for the 21st century.

 

It was absolutely stunning.



It was one of those moments of design beauty that makes the problems of everyday life melt away and leaves you feeling totally fulfilled. And for once it was British. I felt British pride for the first time in many years.