Weekend in London - Day 3

Hello there - well day three arrived and it was a glorious sunny day and after another cooked breakfast we set off for a stroll around the Queen Elizabeth II Olympic Park which was a mere stones throw away from our hotel.  It is a sporting complex built for the 2012 Summer Olympics and the 2012 Summer Paralympics, situated to the east of the city adjacent to the Stratford City development

Come and take a wander around with me

the closer I got to the park the emotions of those beautiful Olympic days started coming back

 

seeing these flags still blowing gently in the breeze brought a lump to my throat

 

 

 

look at these structures three years on and still looking like new

 

 

 

 

come on over to the fence and take a look around

 

 

 

 

come on down for a look around

 

 

 

 

 

the steps down are in amongst the wild flower garden that has been planted

 

 

 

 

 

 

 up we go for a walk around the top

 

 

 

this happened on Day 1 of the Paralympic games - 6 gold medals for team GB

 

 

 

a plaque and permanent records are on the walkway painted on the path

Didn't we do absolutely brilliantly??!!!!

 

 

 

 

children's play areas - me snapping a Mum snapping her little one

 

 

 

seating areas

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

gardens planted all the over park and flourishing now

 

 

I spotted this little fella climbing up the fence post

 

 

The orbit

(my friend Coral wants to abseil down this 263 feet structure!!!)

 

 

so we head back to Stratford to catch the train back to Victoria in time for our coach back to Portsmouth and make our way home after our weekend away

 

 

looking back as we leave

 

 

past the Olympic village where the athletes stayed

 

 

Paralympic Games badge 2012

 

 

 

 

Back in 2011 we applied for tickets for the Olympic Games and we were lucky enough to get tickets for the boxing which was held at the Excel International Convention Centre, but I was not lucky enough to get any tickets for the Olympic Park although we visited the area at the time.  You could not get close or go into the Olympic Village without tickets.  It was a truly great atmosphere from the moment we stepped off the train at Waterloo station with the whole of London in a blaze of bright pink at underground and railway stations and smiling happy faces everywhere you looked.

 

Visiting the Olympic Park on our weekend away three years later brought all these memories and emotions back to me and I thoroughly enjoyed every second of my walk around.  If you get a chance at any time to go and visit the Queen Elizabeth II Olympic park I urge you to do so.  What a legacy the Olympics 2012 have left this country and what a truly amazing experience to have lived and been a part of the dream!!

 

Thanks for popping by

 

Xx Joy Xx

 

PS  walking back to catch our coach

 

 

I spotted these in a garden in Victoria

 

 

and these are in my neighbours garden - she has four boys!

I love it