After our exciting time at the curling events, including the extra end for Canada and Japan, we still wanted to see the Olympic Cauldron with Mom, Dad, and Caroline. We waited for a shuttle to the train station. We ended up on the shuttle with some friendly people that we had met while waiting in line. They admired our red, white, and blue mittens, hats, and US flag stickers on our faces. As we began our shuttle ride, some Canadian children sang the Canadian National Anthem. Then, our new friends, said, "now we need to sing the US National Anthem." It was very sweet. And they sang it with us. It was a kind gesture, and really cool that they knew our Anthem. We had sung a little of theirs, but mostly hummed along. There were a few tears seen and snuffles heard on the shuttle that night.
Dana sent along a bunch of Flathead Lake pins for us to trade or give away. I gave a few away that night in the train station. Then, as we boarded our train, I received my first trade. It is a pin for the Canadian National Curling Club! I love it!!
We took a nice long train ride to a station near the cauldron. Well, near, but still far enough that we were all hoping it was a shorter walk. Mom was still making it, but clearly in some pain. And, we again were hoping for a public restroom. We were again denied. So we kept walking.
We walked along Canada Place. It is a beautiful architectural delight, especially at night.
Above is an entrance to Canada Place. We did not spend enough time trying to get the perfect shot of one of us holding up the world.
You can imagine how cool that photo could have been. Well, if we had taken it from the side with the large windows without panes...ha!
Oh, those Canadians. They even decorated the construction cranes! Go Canada!
It was an impressive Olympic Cauldron. Especially cool, since Vancouver 2010 was the first Olympics to have TWO cauldrons. They had built one that they lit inside the BC Place Stadium at the end of the Opening Ceremonies.
This shot is taken through the chain link fence. Before we got to Canada, I had heard about the protesting for the flame to be freed. That is, not behind a chainlink fence a couple hundred feet in front of the cauldron. "Free the Flame!" "Free the Flame!" "Free the Flame!"
Me posing with the cauldron. I would have liked to have been closer...
The Grant and Pedersen clan pose at the end of a great day.
The Olympic Flame as the backdrop for Mom and Dad (Eternal Flames).
BFFs -- Cookie,Jen, and Joelf
I'm still Red, White, and Blue at the end of our first day!
Ahhh, the end of a long and wonderful Olympic day...zzzzzzzz
