Day 8: Why didn't they hold the Winter Olympics someplace where it snows?

Well, today we had to do something we hated to do.  We left our last event, snowboarding, when the event was only halfway through.  If you saw any of the event on TV, you probably know why.  The day was such a challenge that we didn't even take any pictures.

We were up and out of the house by 7 am and it's still surprisingly dark at that time at 49 degrees latitude!  We had an easy drive to Capilano University, and hopped on a bus after a quick cup of free hot chocolate.  (Did we mention how nice the people are up here?)  The drive was less than an hour, and the walk from the bus we knew quite well from having been there for Aerials the other night, but it was even longer to get to the Snowboarding location.  Our event was the Women's Snowboard Parallel Giant Slalom, and we had seats this time, not General Admission.  All General Admission tickets had been refunded, as the officials in charge of such things had deemed that because of all the rain in the weeks leading up to these Games, the area reserved for standing was not safe for all those people.  So we trouped up more than 200 steps to get to the seating area, and found our seats.

Here's the problem:  it was raining when we woke up, and it NEVER stopped.  We had an hour to wait before the event even began, and we were starting to feel the effects of the cold and rain already.  We never heard for sure, but the temperature had to be just above freezing.  After about 15 minutes, I decided to take Julianna to the store, to see if we could buy rain ponchos.  I figured it would at least get us into a warm, dry tent for a little while.  None of us had even eaten any breakfast yet.  We had just grabbed some snacks as we left the house, intending to eat on the bus, but we couldn't.  Then we figured we'd eat when we sat down, but it was too wet to get out our bars and crackers.  So she and I walked down the nearly 200 steps and over to the Merchandise tent.  They were out of ponchos, and didn't have any seat cushions (wet metal bleachers are very cold) so I bought a shirt for Tony so that I could have the sturdy plastic bag they put purchases in.  So at least we had a seat cushion for Julianna.  Then we sat down in a corner of the Merchandise Tent for a few minutes so we could eat.  While we were sitting there, an Olympics volunteer walked in, carrying two cardboard boxes.  Someone asked, "Are those rain ponchos?"  and he replied, "I think so."  Several of us nearly pounced on the poor man.  They turned out to be giant trash bags, but we happily took them.  Julianna and I left, and walked back up the -- say it with me -- more than 200 steps, and sat down again.  Tony and Bodie returned a few minutes later, having gone to get hot chocolate.

The event started shortly thereafter, and we loved it.  It's two women at a time, racing down the course, which had to be even trickier than normal for them, because of the rain.  The crowd was hardy, and cheering on the athletes, particularly the Canadian girls, but there was also a strong contingent for the Russian athletes, and the one U.S. snowboarder.  It's fast paced and very exciting.  We could see almost the whole way up the hill, plus there was a video screen to watch.

Well, the first part of the competition took an hour, and after that there was an hour to wait before the second half.  All of our jackets were drenched (the ponchos helped keep the warmth in, but as far as our being wet, it was too late!)  I had given my gloves to Julianna, because hers were soaked through, so my hands were pretty cold.  We were all quite uncomfortable, and Bodie looked miserable.  We decided we couldn't last another two hours in our condition, so we headed back to the buses.  We felt bad leaving early, but we did feel we had already enjoyed an hour of exciting competition.  As it was, we weren't home for another two hours, what with the walk back to the bus, the drive back to the University, and then our drive home, stopping on the way to buy pizzas.

It is really, really hard to describe how completely wet and we were.  Mom, remember when we kayaked in Kauai, and then forded that river, and you had a one inch area on the waistband of your pants that was the only part that was dry?  Laura, remember that water ride at Busch Gardens last summer, when you took the brunt of it and had to pay $5 to stand in that giant hair dryer?  It was like that.  Bodie's turtleneck, which was under his jacket and his outer shirt, was wet from the wrists to the elbows, from the neck down to the upper chest, and from the bottom up about four inches.  The money in Tony's wallet had to be laid out on the table to dry.   My purse was inside another bag, and the kleenex inside were wet.  We're talking WET, here, people!  And don't forget cold!  Were we to have fallen through the ice on a frozen lake, we would not have been wetter or colder.

Our afternoon from there was enjoyable and relaxing.  We watched the USA/Finland hockey game, and the gold medal Women's Curling Match.  Even watching the Olympics on TV is more fun when you are where it's happening and can say, "I was right there!"  Even as we type this, we can hear the fireworks from the festivities in downtown Vancouver.

We will be leaving Vancouver tomorrow evening to return to the good old U.S. of A.  Please be praying for smooth travels for us!  Good Night!

Day 7: Two Words – USA vs. Canada!

Another day in beautiful Vancouver!  Kirsten here - Today was a very relaxed day, all things considered.  We went out for a nice breakfast at a local golf club.  Our hostess had left us a gift certificate for the restaurant there, so we took advantage of that.  I had the "Hole in One" which was pretty much an Egg McMuffin... But would you believe, the Canadian bacon here is really, really good!   But here they call it "Our Bacon".  (Kidding...)

After breakfast we came back home.  Laura packed up to fly home, and I did some laundry.  We left the house about lunchtime and drove to Lonsdale Quay.  Tony and Julianna hopped on the SeaBus to go downtown for the Women's Hockey Gold Medal game.  I'll let him tell you about that in a minute.

Bodie and Laura and I did a little souvenir shopping at the marketplace, and got ourselves a snack.  Something called a "beaver tail" which is a very flat, oblong pastry, with any one of a dozen toppings.  I chose blueberry.  They spread it on, then sprinkle it with powdered sugar.  The pastry is very thin and crisp.  Quite good.  I would love to try it with other toppings. Maybe I'll see if there's a recipe online...

Then we drove Laura to the airport, which is a bit tricky.  There's really not much in the way of highways here, so it's 45 minutes to the airport via surface streets.   The busy streets are two lanes on each side, with no "turn pockets" so if someone is turning left, they are holding up everyone in that lane.  The neighborhoods don't look terrifically well-off, but they are clean and nice-looking.  Anyway, we dropped off Laura, then stopped at Subway to get a sandwich for a growing 9 1/2 year old boy....  He and I came back home to watch the hockey game, after which we went back to "LQ"  (That's what those of us "in the know" call Lonsdale Quay.  Especially when we're sick of typing Lonsdale Quay....

Dinner was back to the Memphis BBQ.  We knew it was something we liked, and they had TV's in there, so we could watch the Ladies Figure Skating.  Then back home to get to bed early.  We've got to be at the bus bright and early for the Snowboarding Competition tomorrow!

As Julianna and I got on the SeaBus heading to the women's hockey game with 20,000 of our closest Canadian friends, you could feel the tension in the air. Wearing my USA hockey jersey through town, I could feel a lot of people looking at me, especially because, for every USA fan on the street, there are 100+ Canadian fans, and they are all wearing red hockey jerseys. You would think that every Canadian man, woman and child was given one for Christmas. But, as we've experienced here all week, Canadians are really very nice people, so I never felt like my life was in danger.

Maybe you haven't heard, but Canadians take their hockey VERY seriously. They may be friendly, but make no mistake, they invented hockey, so they feel that they should be the best at it. Much as most Canadians like the USA and American things, that had no intention of letting our girls take home the gold medal in THEIR sport. Based upon how loud things were inside Canada Hockey Place tonight, I can't believe there is anyone in the greater Vancouver area that has any voice left. If I can step away from being an American for just a second, the amount of red in the building and the number of Canadian flags and maple leafs everywhere was really quite impressive. We Americans are quite used to overt acts of patriotism and outward love of country, but Canadians I've learned, are quite a bit more restrained with their national emotions. I've overheard more than a few people say that they have really loved how the whole country has gotten behind their athletes and how love of country has become so widely accepted among Canadians. From my standpoint, you would never know that that is such a stretch for these people. It is impossible to count how many Canadian flags we've seen everywhere: in windows, flags on cars, on flagpoles on people's homes; they're everywhere. It is really very impressive and inspiring. I could definitely move here and be a Canadian...well, if I weren't already an American.

Once the game started, the tension level soared. I knew that these were the two best women's teams, and that this game was a bit of a foregone conclusion, but once the gold medal game started, anything could happen. Our ladies are extremely skilled and pretty fast skaters. I really thought that they dominated the Canadians for most of the first period. Julianna and I were sitting close to the goal that Team USA was shooting against in the first and third periods, and it seemed as if most of the action was right in front of us. Unfortunately for the red, white and blue, Canada's goalie, Shannon Szabados, played the game of her life and didn't allow a single puck to get past her. Our girls peppered her with shot after shot, but she stood strong. Without her in net, the Canadians would all be wearing silver medals right now. I gotta tip my hat to her. The Canadians put two nice shots past our goalie, Jessie Vetter, in the first period, and each time the noise in the building was deafening. Much to the dismay of all American hockey fans, and the players, we had to settle for the silver medal.

Even though it was not my country, it was quite a thrill to be there when an Olympic gold medal was awarded, especially to the host country. It really meant a lot the Canadian people, so I'm happy for them. Plus, it was a great experience because I got to share it with my daughter. She cheered her heart out for our girls and tried to break into every shout of Go Canada Go, with her own U.-S.-A.! U.-S.-A.! While she's still not interested in playing hockey, I think she enjoyed watching Team USA play for our country.

Friday is our last Olympic event. Sadly, our adventure is almost over. We are waking up very early to head back up to Cypress Mountain for the women's snowboarding parallel slalom. So, if you're watching the Olympics on Friday, look for us in the stands. Kirsten will be looking very stylish in her purple coat with bright pink gloves.

Day 6: Aerials in the Fog

Wednesday started out as a lazy, rainy morning, with all of us sleeping in, since our only event for the day was in the evening. After getting in pretty late from Whistler the night before, it was a good time to get caught up on some much-needed rest. When we finally got up and moving, we decided to go out for some brunch before it was time to go to our Women's Aerials Skiing event at Cypress Mountain. We found a White Spot restaurant and had a nice meal there. White Spot is kind of an upscale Canadian Denny's or Coco's. The food was good and really hit the spot. The White Spot. Get it? (Sorry, I really didn't do that on purpose.) After brunch, we came home to watch the U.S.A. vs. Switzerland hockey game on TV. Wow! That game was a little too close.

The ride on the bus up to Cypress Mountain was not even half as long as the one to Whistler, which was nice. We had to be at the parking lot where the buses leave from at 4:30pm, and because it is close to the house we're staying in, that was easy to do. There were quite a few people already lined up for the buses, but they had plenty of them and the line moved very quickly. On the bus, I sat next to a local guy from Vancouver who had gotten the tickets to the event from his boss at work, but he really wanted to see the Canada vs. Russia hockey game on TV much more than the aerials. Fortunately for him, they were showing it on the big screen TV once we got to Cypress Mountain. As the bus climbed up the mountain road, the fog began to get thicker and thicker. I started to wonder what it would take for them to postpone our event and what that would do to our schedule. Fortunately, that didn't happen.
Once our forty-five minute trip was complete, we hopped off the bus and put on the rest of our cold weather clothing: jackets, scarves, hats, gloves; wear it if you got it. It was still sprinkling, so we knew it was going to be a wet evening. We walked what seemed to be about a mile before we arrived at the security checkpoint and ticket turnstile. After that, we walked what seemed like another mile to the venue site (I'm sure it was less, but when you're cold and wet, everything seems to take longer).
We found the general admission standing room ticket area and wondered how we were going to see anything from there in the fog, and there was already quite a crowd gathering. Kirsten and I went to get some food and found a better standing area, so we called Laura and the kids to come over to where we were. It was a pretty good view, but we were standing right next to the loud speaker and there was still an hour and a half before the event was to start, and we had to stand...in the cold...the whole time. The kids were real troopers throughout the whole night.

Hi - Kirsten here!  As you can see from the photo, the waiting was made easier by the giant "beach" balls being tossed around the crowd.  There were four of them, I think, and it was something that kept the kids occupied for awhile.  We also got some dinner while waiting - hot dogs and "Hearty Alpine Chili" which was indeed hearty, and delicious.  Plus hot chocolate for everyone!



Though the event was to start at 7:30, the fun really
starts before that.  They play a video with Olympic scenes on it, to get you revved up, and then they introduce each of the competitors.  There were 12 ladies vying for gold, from China, Australia, Belarus and U.S.   Laura and I attended this same event in Salt Lake City, and I enjoyed it just as much.  It's such an exciting sport to see.  You're in awe of the height they are achieving, then amazed at the flips they are doing while in the air, then excited to see them land cleanly.  If you were watching, you know an Australian won (which is the same thing that happened in Salt Lake, so Laura and I must be good luck for them!)  Also, if you were watching on TV, you might have seen Tony, Laura and me!  We saw ourselves when we watched it late last night, on NBC.  Very fun, although the kids were a little hidden.

We had a wonderful view, despite the fog, and we weren't too cold.  We made the long walk back to the buses with a crowd that was joining the Australian fans in shouting "Aussie, Aussie, Aussie - Oy, Oy, Oy!"  It was raining and snowing (what we call "Wintry Mix") so we were pretty wet when we got back to the bus, but it was an uneventful trip down the mountain, thankfully.

Day 5: Finally Some Snow

Today, all four Lazios and Laura were off to the women's bobsledding event up in Whistler. And, of course to celebrate my little girl's 13th birthday. I have a teenager! Oh my gosh, I'm so old! (Lol.... that was Tony. I'm fine with it! ~ Kirsten)

The forecast was for clouds and a chance of sprinkles, and that is just what we got. We slept in just a bit before driving to Lonsdale Quay, which is the departure point for buses going up into the mountains. We walked around the marketplace shops and had a quick lunch before we made the two hour trip.

The road to Whistler is called the Sea to Sky Highway and is really a lovely trip. Apparently, they have widened the road to two lanes on each side, instead of one, just in time for the Olympics. Even though it was foggy, it was still a pretty view, as the road follows the shoreline for a great deal of the time. As you look out over Horseshoe Bay you can see many islands that dot the landscape.
We arrived in Whister around 3:30, and then walked through the village on our way to the Olympic sliding center. It is the same venue where the luge and skeleton events are held. Bodie was very excited to finally see some snow, and immediately after getting off the bus found the nearest pile to climb on.
The village is a very vibrant place, with lots of people and and a lot going on. I definitely wish we had come up hear a lot sooner in the day, so we could see it more. Oh well, I guess we'll have to come back for another trip sometime. Around the village there are several stages where they have nightly events going on. We also saw the stage area where the hand out the medals.

To get up to the sliding center, we had to go up the Blackcomb Mountain ski area. A gondola took us halfway up the mountain, then we had a bit of a hike though the security screening and to the viewing area. You can stand almost anywhere along the track, but some places are better than others. We watched all of the first runs from the large viewing area in front of turn 16. It's the largest viewing area, plus you can see the big video screen and know where the sled is on the track. Even though there is a track announcer that describes the action and lets you know when they're coming, the video screen was very helpful. At this spot you also get a pretty long view of the sled as it goes around the last big curve before the finish line. Standing near the track, you really get a feel for how fast they're moving. It was really cool. They are also surprisingly noisy. You can hear them coming several seconds before they come into view. You gotta ring those cowbells loud, to be heard! Right before the competition started, the sprinkles turned to a light snow. Finally, it was the WINTER Olympics for us.

But you'd be surprised how much uphill walking is required to get up to the various viewing spots along the track. We checked out a few others, but we decided that none of them were as good as the first one.

As all the teams were finishing their second run, we decided to head back down to the village just a bit early. We wanted to have time to take Julianna to a nice birthday dinner —which we did at The Old Spaghetti Factory— and look in a few of the shops before we had to be back to the bus at 9:00pm. If you missed the last bus, you'd be spending the night in Whistler.

Hi ~ Kirsten here, to give you my highlights of the day. As Tony mentioned in one of his first posts, the ski village of Park City, UT was so charming when we were there in 2002, it prompted us to attend these Games. And the beautiful village of Whistler did not disappoint. It began snowing when we first arrived at the Bobsleigh Run, and it was so lovely. Then you add the music and the people from all over the world, and that's why we are here! We saw a lot of athletes in the village, too - members of the Polish, Swedish, and Russian teams. Also, there are several national "houses" in Whistler village. You might have seen something about these on TV. These are places set up for visitors and athletes of different countries to congregate, mingle, eat and drink and watch giant TV screens; and their countries broadcast from there. We passed "Switzerland House", "Ireland House" and "Norway House".

The other special "Olympics" moment of the day, for me, was on the bus going home. There were two gentlemen on the bus wearing snow jackets and pants that said "Russia" on them, and a Canadian who was loading behind us saw them and said "Uh oh - Go Canada!" (Canada plays Russia in men's hockey today) and the Russian replied, in heavily accented English, "Oh, no -- eet's go Roosya!" Everyone on the bus laughed. That's the Olympics. This game is hugely important to both teams, but they're good-natured and friendly about it. You'd be hard pressed to find a Yankee fan and a Red Sox fan getting along so well the evening before a World Series game!


All in all, it was a great day in the mountains. And Happy Birthday, Julianna!

Day 4: Backwards Day

Today was backwards day for us. Kirsten and Julianna went to the women's hockey game between the U.S. and Sweden, and Bodie and I wandered around and did some shopping. We all took the bus into town, then split up after getting coffee and croissants. I'll let Kirsten tell you about their experience at the game in a minute.

After leaving the girls, Bodie and I jumped on the SkyTrain (Vancouver's version of the subway) and went a couple of stops down into the main hub of activity. My first thought was checking out the Olympic Superstore, the biggest souvenir emporium in Vancouver. We found the end of the line and it was at least an hour long wait, so we moved on. There is another part of this store that has some Olympic items, so we went there and found a hat for Bodie and one for Julianna. We found the USA clothes by Ralph Lauren, but there are none of the moose beanies that the team wore in the Opening Ceremonies to be had. I found something that said that they have been sold out since before the games started, and that when they had them, they were $75.00.

Once we finished there, we walked down to the pavilion where they have the zip line and the free ice skating rink. We found the end of the queue for the zip line and there was a seven and a half hour wait, so needless to say, we did not get in line. However, once again, it was very exciting to see all the people from around the world walking up and down the street. We saw a couple of Russian athletes in the store, and some Swedish athletes at the hockey game last night. Bodie and I finished our father/son time by going to the Roots Athletic store (clothing) and buying shirts for each of the four of us, then we had lunch at Red Robin while watching cross-country skiing on TV. Finally, we jumped back on the train and went back to wait at the hockey arena for Kirsten and Julianna.

Hi! Kirsten here! Julianna and I had fun at the game. We had great seats, down at one end, behind the goal and up a level. Neither of us had ever seen a women's hockey game, and it's quite different from the men's. There is no checking in the women's league, so it's somehow a more fluid game. There did seem to be more penalties though, than the average men's game. I think the referees probably just call them more often.

The final score was US: 9; Sweden: 1. The crowd was unabashedly supportive of Sweden from the beginning, but when it became obvious that U.S. was the much stronger team, Julianna and I were pretty much rooting for Sweden, too! Kinda felt bad, watching our girls win by that big a margin! The American win meant that they will be in the gold medal game on Thursday, which we have tickets to. Tony and Julianna will be attending that one.

After we met up with Tony and Bodie, we all took the bus back home, and got the car, to drive to the airport to pick up Laura. Then we drove to Granville Island to have dinner. Great meal all around, and as we left, the restaurant bar was crowded with people watching the Canadian Ice Dancers, so we stopped to watch the end of their routine. I gotta tell you, there is something special about a country that roots as hard for its ice dancers as it does for its hockey team! They were excited and cheering and clapping. I just can't imagine that in a U.S. bar. I'm sure that will be one of my standout memories of this week.

Tomorrow we head to Whistler for a very special day. No, not attending Olympic Bobsledding, but my sweet, beautiful, amazing daughter's 13th birthday. We can't wait to tell you all about it.

Thanks for joining us, and for praying for us.

We finally have a way to get our pictures off our camera, now that Laura brought her memory card reader. Here are a few.

Day 3: Buses, Boats, and Trains

Another busy day in Vancouver! We caught the 9:50 bus down the street. Took that to another bus, which took us back to Lonsdale Quay, where we had dinner last night. Lisa and her family met us there, and we explored the Lonsdale Quay Market for a while before boarding the SeaBus to take us across the water to the Downtown area. At that point we split up. Lisa and her family went to see the flame, and we hopped on the Sky Train to head to the Curling Venue. This was several Sky Train stops away from Downtown, in a residential neighborhood. We walked for a few blocks past small but nice-looking homes. And here’s the answer, American skeptics: Curling is pretty fun to watch! With four matches going on at once, it was a little hard to follow at first, but then I began to realize that there was almost always at least one match that was at a really exciting place in their round. By about halfway through, I was cheering, and realized I understood why! So since we promised you some research, here’s a little instructive Top Five List for you: Top Five Ways Curling is Not Like Bowling: 5 – Curling is very much a team sport. All four members do their best to get each and every stone to exactly where they want it. 4 – Bowling tournaments don’t being with the playing of bagpipes. This is an homage to the origin of curling, in Scotland over 500 years ago. 3 – You don’t have to wear oddly colored shoes – but did you get a load of Norway’s Harlequin-style pants? If you’re gonna get away with wearing pants like that, you either have to be secure in your masculinity, or have Vikings for your ancestors! 2 – In a way, it reminded me a little of chess, in that the “skip”, who is the leader of the team, will strategize a few steps ahead, to try to outsmart the opponent. There were sometimes 6 or 8 stones in the “house”, and yet neither team would score. And the number one way Curling is not like Bowling: No one does the wave at a bowling tournament! The crowd was very excited for their teams, but also cheered good moves by any team. Canada and the U.S. did our own version of “Tastes Great/Less Filling” trying to out-chant each other with “U.S.A!” and “CA-NA-DA!” The Swiss fans chant something like “En Suisse!” I don’t know what it means, but it makes me want some cheese…. The Danish fans chant “Let’s go, Denmark!” in English, for some reason. And the Swedish fans sing something in Swedish -- but to the tune of “Stars and Stripes Forever” ! We left curling and took a shuttle back to the King Edward station, back to the SeaBus, back to the North Van bus, back home, to watch the rest of the Canada/U.S. Men’s Hockey Game. When that was over – off again! Julianna and I drove Tony and Bodie back to downtown to see Sweden and Finland play hockey, so I’ll let him tell you about that. I debated whether or not to wear my USA hockey jersey yesterday —these Canadians take their hockey pretty seriously, and I didn't want to risk my life— but I really didn't need to worry. Sure, I got a lot of comments, and make some new friends from the US, but the people up here are really friendly.
As Bodie and I jumped out of the car to walk over to the hockey arena, I gave Kirsten the only map we had at the time, so she could get back home. Turns out I shoulda looked at it first. I thought I knew where I was going, but now it was dark and I lost my bearings. It was OK though. After walking a couple of blocks in a circle, I got out my trusty iPhone and found we were going in the right direction. The security line for the game was fairly short, but they had just barely started letting people back into the stadium after the Canada-U.S.A. game, so there was a giant mob of people funneling into a staircase leading to the arena. Despite the huge masses of people we have encountered off and on, we feel really safe in this city. Everyone is just here to have fun. It's a great atmosphere.
The Sweden–Finland game was kind of a yawner, as Sweden won 3-0, and Finland never really looked like they were in the game, but the Olympic people go out of their way to make sure everyone is having a good time and they do their best to keep up the in-game energy with the music and clapping, etc. So, the game was still a fun time.
Monday, Kirsten and Julianna will be joining Bob and Steve at the women's hockey game between the U.S. and Sweden. Look for them in the crowd shots. Bodie and I are going to do some exploring and shopping while they're at the game. Kirsten's sister, Laura arrives this afternoon, so we'll pick her up at the airport after the game.
That's it for Sunday.

Curling!!

So much to follow! I don't even know what to look at, there is so much going on.

A little Sunday curling.

Today is our first event as a family. The four of us are on the bus headed to Lonsdale Quay (pronounced "key") to meet up with our high school friend Lisa Melstrand Aubertin and her family. They live an hour outside Vancouver.

Day 2: Holy Crowded Train Station, Batman!

The hockey game between Norway and Switzerland was fabulous. For two "lower level" teams with few, if any NHL players, they put on quite a show. As the crowd began to gradually file in, you could feel the energy start to build. The Vancouver Olympic people are doing a great job at building excitement with the usual arena standards like music and video, but they also had a guy roaming the stands pounding on a drum to get people clapping. But in reality, it wasn't really necessary, because fans from both sides were cheering on their teams with loud cheers and waving their country's flags. What a sea of red!

We definitely saw a lot of interesting people today. The game included a lot of Norwegian fans wearing Viking helmets with horns; a Swiss fan with his entire upper body painted red, and another guy who had shaved the Olympic rings logo into his chest hair. Yikes! Not pretty.

The game went back and forth, with Switzerland getting a goal, then Norway tying it. It ended with a 4-4 tie, so the game went into overtime. Both teams had chances to win in overtime, but the Swiss were the ones who finally got their first win of this Olympics.

Later on, Kirsten and Julianna took the Sky Train into town and met up with us after the game. I'll let her pick it up from here...

Hi!  Well, the Olympic Organizers are encouraging everyone to take public transportation, and believe me, they are.  I think we were crammed into a train with all of them.... Julianna and I managed to find our way to the train station, which was not without its challenges, especially if you know me and my sense of direction... or lack thereof.  Turns out, north is not necessarily straight ahead.  Whoulda thunk?  At any rate, we climbed on a very crowded train, and I heard a youngster say something to her mother about "personal space" and the mother replied, "There is no personal space at the Olympics."  Ain't it the truth.  But again, the crowd has a genial, courteous nature.  There were no seats to be had, but I saw a young man trading places with an older man, a German, I think, so that the older man could at least hold on to the bar to steady himself.  An older woman next to me was gripping my elbow so she wouldn't fall, but really, I don't think it was possible to fall.  There was just no place to go!

We met up with Tony and Bodie, and Steve and Bob, and we all walked several blocks to the Olympic Flame lit by Wayne Gretzky on Opening Night.  It's possible to get fairly close to it, but it's behind a chain link fence.  They have built a "Viewing Platform", but there was nearly an hour wait, so we took pictures from a bit of a distance.  The crowds were enormous in the downtown area, but again, the police directing traffic are unfailingly polite.  Every direction or request is accompanied by "please" or "thank you".  Folks saying "excuse me" when they bump you, or waiting patiently for a stroller to work its way through the crowd.  There were street performers, a band, a choir, and we saw at least one athlete, a Ukrainian, taking pictures with visitors.  The longest line we saw?  Outside the Canadian mint.  It looked like about a two hour wait, but for those who had the patience, they were rewarded with a close-up look at Olympic medals.

We split up with Bob and Steve, as they had some shopping to do for their families, and headed to the nearest train station.  The platform was unbelievably crowded, and so was every train that came by.  And every time a train stopped, only half a dozen people got off.  We were probably 10-15 minutes waiting before we jammed ourselves on a train.  About 20 minutes later we were back to our car.  We drove back to the same area we had dinner last night, and this time chose "Boston Pizza".  I know it seems like we only eat at restaurants that have American themes, but it's really a coincidence!  It was a great sports bar so we could watch Apollo Ohno take the bronze, while enjoying our dinner.

This day included two of my least favorite things:  driving in unfamiliar areas, and spending time with large groups of strangers, (Toto, I don't think we're in my comfort zone anymore....) but it's part of the fun of the "Olympic Experience!"

Okay, now I know how jealous you all are about our event tomorrow, but don't worry, we'll tell you all about it.  Let's just say the theme will be:  "Curling:  More Than Just Cold Bowling?"

 

Hockey game number 1

Today, Bodie and I are with Bob and Steve at the hockey game between Norway and Switzerland. The bus ride to the game was easy, but crowded. Security was also easy to get through, of course we're two hours early.

Day 1: Beautiful British Columbia

Kirsten here ~ Today went very well.  As Tony mentioned in this morning's post, our power was out when we got up, so we were showering and packing the last minute toiletries by candle and flashlight.   Just as Tony was loading the last of the luggage into the car, the power came back on, so he was able to reset the timer on the lights, and we were off.  There was very little traffic and we were at LAX in plenty of time.  Got some coffee and breakfast, and passed the time until we boarded.  The flight was uneventful, and we arrived in Vancouver slightly ahead of schedule.  It was not crowded at all.  No lines to have our passports checked, and declare that we had nothing to declare.  The Vancouver airport is lovely - fountains and plants everywhere.  Seems to me that the city is very proud of its efforts to be green.  Also, there were folks everywhere in the Olympic blue and green vests smiling and saying hello and offering to direct us if we needed it.

We got some lunch and picked up our rental car, and then drove to downtown Vancouver to pick up some of our tickets that were being held for us.  The downtown area is crazy busy, but in a good way.  Crowded with people at the shops and restaurants, carrying their national flags, wearing crazy colored wigs, laughing and singing... It's a very festive atmosphere.  We saw the Olympic torch, but couldn't get a great picture with only the cellphone camera.  The traffic was slow moving but organized.  The whistle-blowing cops smiled and nodded hello as they directed traffic.  

After that we drove to our home away from home.  Our hosts, Shawna and Ren, were waiting to give us a tour of the house and the neighborhood.   It's a lovely home in North Vancouver (or "North Van" as we locals like to call it!)  only 20 minutes or so from downtown.  A split-level with three bedrooms upstairs and two downstairs.  We are sharing the home with friends of friends, Bob and Steve, who are planning on seeing as much hockey as possible over the course of the next week.  

After Shawna and Ren left to begin their own vacation (Have fun in Kauai, guys!) we headed out to find some dinner.  Chose a place that does a terrific Memphis Barbecue (cuz that's what you expect in Canada, right?) and enjoyed our dinner thoroughly.  

We're heading to bed now, and looking forward to the fun beginning in earnest tomorrow.  Tony and either Bodie or Julianna will be going to a hockey game with Bob and Steve.  They'll be seeing the Men's Switzerland vs Norway, so if you're home during the day watching the game, look for them in the crowd!

Ready to go!!

Finally, after a lot of preparation and stress, we are at the airport, on our way to Vancouver for our Winter Olympic adventure. Eight years ago, as Kirsten and I walked down the street in Park City, Utah, at the 2002 Olympics, I said to her, "This is so cool! When can we do this again?" Italy was the next Olympic site, in 2006, but I thought that was way too far. When we found out the 2010 games were going to be in Vancouver, we decided right then that we'd go. This trip has been 8 years in planning. I can't wait to get there.

But, we could have missed our flight. Bodie came into our bedroom at 4:30am this morning to inform us that our power was out. Not sure when he noticed, or why. Fortunately, the alarm clock I was using was battery-powered.

Anyway, off we go. More when we arrive in Vancouver.

Vancouver, Here We Come!

By now, many of you know that the Lazio family is headed up to Vancouver, BC for a 2010 Winter Olympics adventure. We leave from LAX this coming Friday morning (Feb. 19). So, if you've always wanted to go to the Olympics, but couldn't make it happen, follow our blog and we'll tell you all about it.

Finally home!

Today we got up early and flew home from Cleveland. We arrived safely at 10:30 am PDT and were picked up at LAX by Dave and Cathy (Kirsten's parents). We are exhausted, but so blessed to have been able to take this trip. It was really the chance of a lifetime. God is so good! All the hours we spent researching and preparing for this trip really paid off. We only had a few things fall off the agenda due to running out of time, and none of those were a huge disappointment. We have a lot of people to thank for their assistance with this trip. Thanks to Linda Bitto for helping us out with our Marriott hotel stays and getting us a discount. Thanks to John and Nancy Abbott again for their hospitality in using the condo in Alexandria and their home in Middleburg. Thanks to Mike, Becky and Katie Moshenek for joining us at the Orioles game in Baltimore, then sharing their home with us for the night. Thanks to Laura for joining us for the majority of the trip. I hope we didn't tease you too much. Thanks to Laura's friend, Kent, for making the long trip back east to join us, if only for a few days. It was great to meet you. Thanks again to Dave and Cathy for the transportation to and from the airport. We hope you all enjoyed following along with our journey; it was fun for us to share it. Thanks for being our friends.

Cleveland rocks!

Kirsten here. Well we certainly took our time this morning. We weren't up until 9, and didn't leave our hotel until 11. Haven't been that lazy in two weeks! We decided to get out of downtown Pittsburgh before finding breakfast, which meant it was pretty near lunchtime. We found a bakery/deli/produce store and had a breakfast of cinnamon rolls, chocolate chip bread, and strawberries. We had our choice of buying California strawberries, or locally grown. I figured I could have the Calif ones anytime, so we bought the other, and they were the sweetest, freshest strawberries I've ever had. Granted, they weren't huge, as Calif ones often are, but they also weren't grown to be tough enough to withstand being trucked across the country. Anyway, they were delicious. We arrived in Cleveland at nearly two, and checked into our hotel - the Ritz Carlton Cleveland, thank you very much. We ate lunch at the Hard Rock Cafe, but were not able to visit the Rock & Roll Museum. The tickets are pricey, and since we were going to the game, we wouldn't have been there long enough to justify the price. So we came back to the hotel and let the kids swim a little. The Cleveland Indians game was a blast. I don't know how many the stadium holds, but it felt somehow small, in a good way. It wasn't imposing, or overly impressive, it was just clean, friendly and hospitable. The fans were enthusiastic, and enjoying the game. The hot dogs were great (gotta love that Cleveland Stadium mustard! If you'd like to try it, you can get it at Jerry's Dogs in Ladera Ranch; right Thorneys?) and we had frozen custard for dessert. It's mostly ice cream, but made with eggs, and creamier. You had to eat it fast - it was melting in a hurry! The Indians beat the Cincinnati Reds 9-2, and the game was followed by some spectacular fireworks. A beautiful and fitting ending to our trip. We have to be up bright and early to catch our plane. I know there's a dog and a cat eager for us to be home!

4 States in an hour and a half!

After driving through Shenandoah National Park on Wednesday, we spent a very nice evening with family friends, John and Nancy Abbott, at their home in Middleburg, VA. They have a lovely home on 3.5 acres in an area where a lot of people have horses. John and Nancy also let us spend five nights in their condo in Alexandria, VA while we were running around in DC. We are so thankful to them for their generosity. They really helped make our trip special and affordable. As Kirsten mentioned, Bodie and Julianna loved the Abbotts' home, because 1.) they have a pool, and 2.) they were able to spend about an hour running around their yard catching fireflies with their bare hands. We had seen fireflies a few times on this trip, but never in the quantities we saw last night. This morning it was time to say goodbye to Laura. She headed back home to Utah today after spending two weeks with us. We so enjoyed sharing this trip with her and getting to meet her friend, Kent. Laura, we're so glad you came with us on this adventure. We love you. Once we had left the Abbotts' house, we hit the road running. After stopping at Starbucks for my morning coffee, we began working our way towards Pittsburgh, PA. In the process we traveled through four states in the span of about an hour and a half. Virginia, West Virginia, Maryland and Pennsylvania. We always make a big deal about crossing state lines in the car, so the kids really had to keep their eyes open today. The only thing on our schedule for the day, before getting to Pittsburgh, was to find Shanksville, PA and visit the Flight 93 temporary memorial. Flight 93 was the plane that went down in a field on 9/11, after the passengers battled with the terrorists in the cockpit who had hijacked the plane. The memorial is temporary because they had an open call for design ideas and they have finally decided on one. They hope to have it completed by 9/11/2011, the 10-year anniversary. At the temporary memorial, as you can see from the picture, people have brought their own contributions, and rangers from the National Park service will answer your questions and tell the story about what happened that day and the plans for the permanent memorial. You cannot get close to the crash site now, but you can see it in the distance, marked by an American flag, and you will be able to walk up to it when the memorial is completed. It is a very moving place to be. The battlefields we've seen commemorate events that happened so long ago, but this was still fresh in my mind, so it took some effort to fight back the tears. We arrived in Pittsburgh around 3:30pm and it was considerably hotter than any place we had been recently. The thermometer in the car said 95° and it was also very humid. We had originally planned to take a tour of Pittsburgh in the DUKW amphibious vehicle that many of the big cities have, but we arrived too late, so we just decided to start walking towards PNC Park a little sooner than we had planned. Our hotel was just across the Allegheny River from the park, so we got to walk across the famous Roberto Clemente Bridge, that you can see from the park. The area surrounding the ballpark is a really nice riverfront walk and we probably would have walked around a bit more, but it was so hot and sticky that nobody wanted to do much of anything except sit in the shade and wait for the park to open. Once it did, we immediately bought some ice cold water, which didn't last long between the four of us. Bodie and I went down to the outfield fence to watch the Indians take batting practice and try to catch a ball. We got close a couple of times, but all we came away with was a nasty scrape on my leg that I got while leaping for a home run ball and coming down on a bleacher bench. After batting practice was done, we made a beeline for the team store, so we could get into some air conditioning. For dinner, I continued trying major league hot dogs, and I can say that they have some pretty good ones in Pittsburgh. Kirsten tried the pierogies and she was very pleased with them. I had really been looking forward to visiting PNC Park ever since ESPN.com reviewed it as the best overall park in the Major Leagues. While we were pretty pre-occupied with the heat, I will say that it is a really nice place and I was not disappointed. Except for the thunder and lightning and a few raindrops that started right before the game began, the game itself was a bit of a yawner for most of it, 2-2 going into the top of the eighth. That's when it happened. A foul ball off the bat of Jack Wilson came looping high in my direction. I was following it all the way; it was coming right to me. I had to move a bit to my left, probably encroaching on the space of the guy next to Bodie, but all's fair in love and foul balls, right? As it was coming down, I knew it was going to be close, and that I could get it for sure if I really wanted to be a jerk, but I decided not to plow the guy over. I reached up and our gloves banged together, and for a moment, I thought I might actually have it. But then I looked in my glove and ... it wasn't there. So close, and yet so far. The guy was a very pleasant-looking dad and could have very well been me, sitting with his little family. He said it was the first foul ball he had ever caught, at age 40, so I didn't feel so bad. I have actually caught one before at an Angels game. The game ended in the bottom of the ninth with a dramatic rally by the Pirates, which sent everyone home happy; except for the thousands of Indians fans that had made the two hour trip to the game. As soon as we got outside the park, it began again with the thunder and lightning, and then came the downpour. We walked the three blocks back to the hotel getting dumped on. By the time we arrived, we were soaked. Good thing the game didn't go into extra innings. Today is our last full day of the trip. We are driving to Cleveland for one more game tonight and we will probably visit the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

Blue Ridge Mountains, Shenandoah River

Kirsten here. Wednesday had us waking up in Charlottesville, and the first thing we did when we checked out of our hotel was to buy lunch. We were headed into the Shenandoah National Park to drive along Skyline Drive, so we brought our picnic with us! Skyline Drive is in the north of the park, the Blue Ridge Parkway in the southern half, and together they have been called the most scenic drive in America. It took us about three hours, including stopping for our lunch, and we saw incredible views. At the overlooks, you could see for miles and miles. I wished I knew how far we could see! We also saw hundreds of butterflies, blue jays and robins and sparrows in and among the trees, and hawks circling overhead. We saw many deer, and even a young black bear! We also saw hikers and walkers and bicyclists galore. From there, we drove to West Virginia, to see Harpers Ferry National Historic Park. This town has a storied history, most famous for its role in the Civil War. Here, in 1859, John Brown and his gang of fellow abolitionists raided the federal armory, hoping to start a rebellion that would end slavery. Instead, he was captured, tried for treason, conspiracy, and murder, and hanged in nearby Charles Town. The town changed hands during the Civil War, eight times. After the Civil War, the town tried to come back to life (with the armory, a major source of employment, having been destroyed during the war) but the flooding of the Shenandoah River pushed out those residents who had returned after the War. What remains is a beautiful historic down, with a few destroyed buildings, but also a few full time residents even today! After Harpers Ferry, we drove back into Virginia, to stay at the home of friends. Nancy and John are the owners of the condo in Alexandria, and they live in Middleburg, VA. My mom and Nancy met when my family moved to Virginia, and they have been friends ever since. They now live in a beautiful home in a fairly rural part of Middleburg, surrounded by horse properties. We had a wonderful dinner with them, then chatted while the kids swam, and caught fireflies! It was wonderful to see their house, and fun to spend time with them.

Historical Tuesday

Williamsburg is part of what they call America's Historic Triangle. Today we visited the second part of that triangle: Jamestown. The third part is Yorktown. Jamestown was the first permanent English settlement in the new world. 104 English men and boys first arrived there in 1607. What we saw was a recreation of that settlement, a neighboring Indian village and three ships like the ones the settlers came over on - the Susan Constant, the Godspeed and the Discovery. This was also the settlement of Captain John Smith, John Rolfe and Pocahontas from the history books (and the Disney movie). We were really kind of unsure if we would have time to visit Jamestown, or if we even needed to since we just saw Williamsburg, but we are glad we did. It was very hands-on for the kids and there was a lot of cool stuff to see. Plus, the "settlers" were giving constant musket firing demonstrations, so they kept us on our toes with loud booms every few minutes. After we were done with Jamestown, we got in the car to drive the two hours to Charlottesville, VA to tour Thomas Jefferson's home, Monticello. Because we had to make a couple of stops and we were slowed by some road work, we just barely made it in time for our 3:30pm tour. Actually, we missed the beginning of it and the guides were unsure of which tour group to put us in, but it all ended up working out. In fact, the supervisors of the tour guides actually went out of their way to make sure that we heard the whole tour by letting us stand in with another group for the two rooms we originally missed. They were emphatic that we NOT take any photos inside the house and NOT TOUCH ANYTHING, but they couldn't have been any more enthusiastic about sharing the history of the house with us and answering any questions we had. It was a wonderful tour. Almost everything we saw in the house was actually owned by Thomas Jefferson and he did some amazingly innovative things in the construction of the house. It is an architectural wonder. It was pretty awesome to be so close to so much history. The grounds are just beautiful. Bodie said he wished we had a lawn that big because it would be a great place to play baseball. Yes it would, but I wouldn't want to mow it. The view from the home is incredible. It is no wonder why he chose to build his home here. Except for the large hill behind the house, you can see for miles in every direction. If you are ever in the Charlottesville area, you must go to Monticello and take a tour. It is really cool!

Monday at Busch Gardens

Monday was our second amusement park visit. This time we were at Busch Gardens Europe in Williamsburg, Virginia. This is the park where Kirsten and her family visited when they used to live out here, so it was a bit of a homecoming for Kirsten and Laura. Instead of Fantasyland and Tomorrowland, like at Disneyland, the different sections of the park are themed after different countries in Europe: England, France, Italy, Germany, Scotland and Ireland. The day was just beautiful; partly cloudy, but lots of sun, and not too hot. Being the first Monday of the summer season, there were hardly any lines, and none longer than about 20 minutes. I'm sure by this weekend the lines will all be really long. Even though they had come here as kids, Kirsten and Laura hadn't been to Busch Gardens for 25 years, so much of the park was new to them as well. One of the first rides we went on was called Roman Rapids, and it was new to all of us. It was one of those circular raft rides where you are guaranteed to get wet. We tried to watch it for a while to see how wet riders were getting, but it had just opened, so it was hard to tell. We finally decided to go on it and now Laura is never going to let us forget it. We all got pretty wet, but she was in the seat that goes directly under four little waterfalls in a row. When we were done, she looked like she had just showered with her clothes on. Right outside this ride is a big dryer booth where you can, for $5.00, stand and try to dry yourself off. It helped a bit, but she was still damp for much of the day. While borrowed from the internet, this photo should give you an idea. The Loch Ness Monster was the roller coaster that Kirsten has been telling me about since we were in high school, so we needed to ride that one. I think we rode it three times during the day and Bodie and Julianna rode it two more times right before we left the park. It was a pretty fun coaster and has the distinction of being the only roller coaster with interlocking loops. At least that's what they told us, but I could have sworn there were others. Maybe it was the only one at the time it was built. More of a theme park than Hersheypark is, Busch Gardens Europe has five main roller coasters (Laura and I rode all of them), but also many shows and rides that are not so death defying, and everything is themed to the country it's in. (Kirsten's nickel) - Well, that was one of my favorite days on this trip. This vacation has been mostly about giving Julianna and Bodie a glimpse into American history. Monday was about a glimpse into my history! It was a step back in time. The park looked much the way I remember it, and I enjoyed the Loch Ness Monster just as much as I did as a youngster. Busch Gardens is a clean and friendly place. Lush with trees and flowers, and appropriate music piped in to every country! You knew you had gone from one country to another because the music changed! Lunch was a highlight. We were in Germany, where you can eat while watching a show at the Fest Haus. Choices like bratwurst and roasted chicken, or delicious BBQ ribs, with sides like sauerkraut and german potato salad. It's a very celebratory "raise your glass and sing with us" kind of atmosphere - an oompah band, and dancers in dresses or leder hosen. It's the strongest memory I have of visiting as a child, and it was so much fun to share it with my kids. Beth, and Mom & Dad, we really missed you!!