Well the Olympics are done and I’m feeling a little POD (Post Olympic Depression), so be prepared for a very lengthy post that has nothing to do with being creative, photography or inspiration.
When I first moved to Vancouver I was told that it was nicknamed the “No Fun City” by the locals. If anyone set foot in Vancouver in the past fortnight, they would find that hard to believe. I come from one of the biggest party cities on the planet, so I know what a crazy party town looks like and Vancouver is up there with the best of them.
I was told Vancouver was not behind these Olympics for many different reasons but all of that negativity seemed to vanish once that torch was lit. There are so many moments that I will remember from these games and so many moments that I am going to miss:
- Watching the games with Canadians, Aussies, Americans, Norwegians and Russians in noisy bars across town.
- The Holland Heineken House with it’s rowdy Dutchmen, love of speed skating and sauerkraut.
- Hanging out at Robson Square with what felt like the rest of the world.
- Seeing spunky Stephen Colbert live and up close and checking out his finely coiffed do.
- Falling in love with Virtue and Moir- seeing him jump into his brothers’ arms still makes me teary.
- Walking down Robson St with a sea of red and white.
- Hearing Swedish hockey fans share their traditional chant with the hockey crowd.
- Having nightly twitter conversations with lovely friends about the figure skaters’ ridiculous outfits.
- The Norwegian Curling Pants!
- The endless hilarity the Canadian and I had whilst making fun of the same 4 advertisements that were played over and over throughout the coverage- I’m in Ontario, y’all! We can both now do an awesome Ryan Reynolds “Laaaiiid Back” impression.
- Getting high fives from random strangers on the street.
- Watching girls scream and boys call “Go Canada!” as they soared across the zipline.
- Standing in a crowd of proud Canadians as they sing their national anthem in unison.
- Playing “Spot the Aussie” with myself as I walked around town. Calling out to other Aussies to have them respond with a wide smile and a “Go Aussie!” back. Being here made me feel really proud to be Australian.
- Seeing these crazy American kids taking their life into their own hands as they bravely waved their flags at a HUGE Canadian crowd on the opposite side of the road. It was a hilarious moment. Watch the video here.
But my most favourite moment of all was after the Gold medal hockey game between the Canada and US. As I said on twitter, one thing that I found awesome was the number of Canadians congratulating and shaking hands with Americans in the streets after the game. The Canadians really are that polite.
Whether you get to actually see any events at the Olympic Games, for me the greatest thing is soaking up the atmosphere and interacting with people from all over the world. I am not Canadian, yet being amongst the passion of the Canadian supporters has been amazing and brought me to tears a number of times. The feeling in the city was electric and happiness exuded out of every pore in every person on the street. I did not come across one grumpy person the whole time.
Thank you Vancouver for an amazing time. Thank you Canada for being awesome.
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I spent a week or so in BC when I was in high school on a choir tour, most of it in Vancouver. Pretty sure I want to live there at some stage in my life!
Oh my! That must of been a wonderful experience for you, oh how id love to go to the games or at least be in the host city at the time. Mabye London 2012?
Pearl xo
I felt a little down after the Sydney Olympics too. The City felt so safe and filled with love during that fortnight. Everyone was friends, and there was a real buzz.
What a lovely post Amanda. xx
I love this post!
And go Norwegian curling pants!
i LOVED this post. as a fellow Canadian, i’m just so proud of (not only all the medals!) but of how the country presented itself to the world. it makes my heart smile :) i so wish i could have been in Vancouver for even a part of it…but i did spend a lot of time glued to the television with my family – and most of Canada. thank you for this post :)
Teresa, apart from all this fun, it’s such a beautiful place.
Pearl, I can’t recommend it enough. When the Vancouver people were whining about how bad traffic will be before it started, all I could do was think to myself, “You’ll see, just you wait.”
Chantelle, it did! I had just as much fun in Sydney. It was a completely different experience and I went to a lot less events here but it was just as fun.
Mausumi and Kay, thanks! :) I was worried it was too long for anyone to be bothered reading hehe
Oh, I love your post! :-) I grinned the whole way through and you brought back such lovely memories. :-) I got so teary the night I was stuck in a crowd that suddenly burst into O Canada. :-) I am Canadian, but live in the States, and my man is an Aussie. :-) The Olympics were lovely and this post is too. :-)
oh my goodness i love this post! i too adore the olympics. seriously though, you can see photos of the decorations my friends & i put up for the winter games on my blog. thank god i have midterms to distract me, otherwise i would be very depressed right now. weren’t they amazing? my favorite moment had to be when sidney crosby got the game winning goal in the gold medal round. as a die hard pittsburgh penguins fan, when he scored i immediately lept off the couch going “sid did it! sid did it! he’s ours! he’s ours! siddddd!” like a complete fool. :)
thank you for sharing your firsthand experiences!
xo Alison
“no fun city”? Really? Goodness, actual vancouverites not only need their posh upscale apartments but also need to be entertained every second? :D
We’ve got ocean, mountain, rivers, lakes, deserts, rainforest… Not to mention go a block away from home and you can eat food inspired by any country in the world! We got Tinseltown if we want to see a really exclusive film! We’ve got playland! Splashdown! Cultus! Whistler (though I’ve never been). Lots of good stuff around here.
We just love to complain :)
Krista, you are a mixed bag like me! :)
haha Alison, you know the crowd went so nuts that I think I heard all the cheers before I even realised what had just happened.
You should watch this awesome video of what Vancouver did when he scored:
http://areminder.tumblr.com/post/422357849/vanmega-the-sound-of-vancouver-when-team-canada
Melle, yeah I’d never heard it before until I came here. They even talked about that being it’s nickname on the news. I think it’s more in reference to the nightlife maybe? I don’t know. But if people do think that, isn’t people who make a place fun?
I certainly have been having fun while I’ve been living here. :)
What’s Cultus?
what an amazing experience! we love, love vancouver!!
hahaha, i was beginning to think I was the only one who noticed the absolute redonkulousness of the “I’m in Ontario Y’all!”
I hope that actor is extremely embarrassed. And never attempts a rap career.