London, episode 14. In which we bolt for Olympic Stadium.

There's a story.

There's a few actually, but let's start with location. Aer Lingus had transported us (and all our luggage) safely across the Irish Sea to Edinburgh, Scotland (not to be confused with Mari's nearby hometown of Edinburg, Texas), for one last weekend adventure before heading to the Olympic Games.

On our first full day we headed out for what appeared to be a short walk up the hill to Edinburgh Castle. You know how that goes. A half mile looks easier planned than walked when you see it on a map, but it was pretty steep going uphill. We stopped about halfway for Mari's photo of the Olympic rings. I just happened to be in the way filming one of my favorite sites.

The colorful temporary advertising was a welcome surprise to us as we came closer and closer to our first day at the Olympic games, just a few days away now after so many years of excited expectation and so many days on the road.

We were thrilled to wake up at the historic Old Waverley Hotel (far left) the day after our arrival to find this spectacular view of the (Sir Walter) Scott Monument outside our window. The monument is on the edge of the beautifully lush Princes Street Gardens which we were happy to walk through on our way up to the castle.

Visit both websites to be sufficiently tempted with colorful photos and visitor information aplenty.

oldwaverley.co.uk

edinburghmuseums.org.uk/Venues/Scott-Monument.aspx

While touring the very touristy and consequently very popular 1000-year-old military stronghold, Mari and I were joined by hundreds of summer visitors; children especially were excited to explore the many rooms of the ancient castle while adults like us were thrilled to enjoy the surrounding views. That's probably not a rumbling from the dormant volcano upon which Edinburgh Castle sits, so you'd better have that checked at the Redcoat Cafe or the Tea Rooms. We were relieved to enjoy a good cuppa (yes, that's herbal iced tea for me) with all the (I won't say accoutrement, but I'm thinking it) gourmet goodies after a pretty full day's tour of the extensive sloping grounds and ancient buildings (not to mention that healthy hike up the hill).

Visit the fully fortified site to help plan your visit and for a calendar of activities.

edinburghcastle.gov.uk

Meanwhile, Mari and I would finally make it into Olympic Stadium for an incredible night of world-class athletics. We had tried to sneak into the stadium for a first-hand view and photograph of the Olympic flame earlier in the week, but only ticket-holders were allowed entry to the first of several security queues which await you at the Olympics.  

Fortunately, we would have our moment in the stadium and with the symbolically magical cauldron on a spectacular Thursday evening.

If you have attended a high school or college track meet, then you know to expect a wide variety of events happening at the same time all over the field and on the track. Such was our luck that midsummer evening with a wide variety of medal rounds in contention by athletes whose hard work, dedication, and dreams would finally coalesce in one perfect moment.

That Thursday we witnessed finals in Men's 200 and 800 meter races and the triple jump. There was also a very hard-fought final round of Women's javelin, and preliminary heats in several races and relays.

It was also the final evening of the Decathlon competition.

Mari and I had attended a variety of events in our first few days at the Games, but had yet to sing "The Star-Spangled Banner" in proud multitudinous (gleefully off-key) unison. We had been itching to hear those first few patriotic strains and we were not to be disappointed.

At left is my best zoom of Ashton Eaton (gold) and Trey Hardee (silver) after their successful completion of the 9th and 10th rounds of the Decathlon that evening. Thanks also to triple jump medalists, Christian Taylor (gold) and Will Claye (silver), for giving us another go at our national anthem.

Our first sighting of the Olympic flame and our first evening in Olympic stadium were the culmination of my own years of daydreams and more than a year of planning. I can only imagine what that evening represented to those amazing athletes and their supportive families, but I know first-hand what it represented to their fans "back home" because I was one of them, even abroad.

For a little while there that Thursday evening, we were all Jamaican, too. Witnessing teammates Usain Bolt (gold, of course), Yohan Blake (silver), and Warren Weir (bronze) sweep the 200 meter race was perhaps the most exciting 20 seconds for all of us assembled.

Not a single jump was attempted nor javelin thrown during those precious seconds when all at once 100,000 raucous individual fans from every corner of our pale blue dot held their collective breaths then released them in gloriously barbaric yawps* of encouragement followed by sensationally ecstatic joy.

*With eternal thanks

to my beloved Whitman.

The fastest man in the world was arguably cool as ever, casting his famous pose for an appreciative crowd then posing for my camera (along with a few thousand others in seating block 218) with his flag-draped teammates.

At the end of our overwhelmingly and patriotically exciting evening, Mari and I finally had the opportunity to pose for a photo with the Olympic flame. We are forever grateful to so many wonderfully welcoming world travelers willing to share a "Kodak moment" with us.

I take my favorite shirt out for a final Scottish spin (cycle) next time.