Our Olympic Experience so far ... Part III

Go here to read Part I and here to read Part II. Thanks!

It's been a crazy week since I last posted. Stomach flu ripped through here and left me and our two older girls chewed up and spat out on the side of the road! Greg got a Gold Medal for Best Father!! Yesterday was Marley's 6th Birthday and later today is her birthday party (a Soccer Party) so there are lots more posts to come! For now let me continue my Olympic story with Greg and my night out at the Canada vs. Switzerland game last Thursday (Feb 18th) ...

Grandma came over from Victoria (yay Grandma!!! Thank you, thank you, thank you!!!) to look after the girls so Greg and I could escape for the game and ??? Being the good citizens we are, we "followed the rules" and used public transit to get downtown. We had some time so we wandered the streets of downtown soaking up more of the atmosphere. I know I've talked before about the sea of people wearing red but it was especially pronounced that day. I think most of the crowd was going to the game or planning to watch it in a bar somewhere! Even the buildings were getting into the spirit! I took this picture because I think it looks cool - it's actually cleverly disguising a construction site but ... hey, if it works, why mess with it?!

After a quick look at the line up outside Germany House (Greg wondered if he could sneak in a quick pint - nope!), we followed the signs through security to the "holding pen" outside GM (er, excuse me, Canada Hockey) Place. I say "holding pen" because the long convoluted route we were forced to take to get there made me feel like we were cattle! Anyhoo .... Here's a pic of Greg with the cleverly altered signage! (Under the blue banner with the Olympic rings on it is the "old" signage - GM Place.)

Once they let us in we got dinner (and ridiculously expensive beer for Greg), found our seats and watched the warm up. First Switzerland came out ...

... then Canada!

Proof that we were there!!

They had this guy doing interviews with various old hockey greats and I had looked up at the monitor to see him chatting with Stan Smyl and Lannie MacDonald. Out of curiousity I glanced around to see where he was filming and lo and behold he was in the box right behind us! (See him through the crowd of rabid hockey fans?! No?!) Then he and his crew came and did another little spot while standing right beside us! So I snapped these pics - our brush with "celebrity".

I also tried to get a picture of the "sea of red" but it doesn't do it justice. Seeing as the Swiss were also all in red and white the arena was a sight to behold!

Here are a few pictures of the game itself

... puck drop ...

... some random action in our neck of the woods ...

... the scoreboard at the end of regulation play - off to OT!

After a nail biting OT period we went to a shoot out. TALK about stressful!

Phew! Pulled it off - time to celebrate!

... but not so much if you're the Swiss Coach.

Once we cheered out throats hoarse we heading off to find something fun to do. We went to Livecity Vancouver instead.

Honestly, I'm glad the wait to get in was only 25 minutes because it was pretty much a bust once we were in! Here I am in front of our lovely Canada Pavillion (/tent!!)

After another 25 minute wait (during which time we got to watch Canada get awarded a Gold Medal at a medal ceremony - on the big screen) ...

... we got stand in yet ANOTHER line! Yay!

This time there was stuff to look at along the way like this Bobsled ...

... then the REASON  for the line was revealed. THE STANLEY CUP!!! So we got our picture taken with it. Greg had already had that honour at the Hockey Hall of Fame in Ontario but I had not. Now I am truly a Canadian ... I have touched the Stanley Cup! Snort!!

We rounded out our evening with a wander down Hamilton Street again - a VERY different place than the one we visited a few days earlier with the girls. I forgot to get a picture of the activity but let's just say it was a block party like no other. It also made us regret the decision to stop at the Flying Wedge. If we'd known about the food kiosks ... then off to Waterfront to a) check in on the lineup at Germany House (still too long) and b) see the Olympic Cauldron. Oh, and the rings in the harbour.

Well, there you have it. Finally! Sorry for the long winded post and multitude of pictures but there is just so much going on around here right now! I feel like I need to share it all!! We returned home to three sleeping girls - one of whom was on the couch and had only been asleep a few minutes. LC was most unhappy about being booted out of her room so Grandma (and Grandpa who flew in from Ottawa that night) could have a bed to sleep in too. It's really making us wonder how she's going to handle 10 days in Hawaii in her Pack'n'Play! Yikes!!

It's now past midnight, the party is long over and my parents have left too. It's time to say good night Blogland. See you tomorrow!