The Day After the Night Before

Well it was all pretty quiet and calm in Stratford early on this morning, which after all the drama and spectacle of last night, was a pretty big contrast. Like most Brits we scored absolutely zilch on the Olympic-ticket-application-front so a while back Woody hatched a plan and has been busily consulting timetables and maps for months.

Today was Day 1 of the Games and we travelled down to London on a pretty civilised 8.12am train and thanks to an amazingly smooth journey, hundreds of spectator advisors of every corner and London Transport seeming to have things all under control, we were strolling into the Olympic Park for 10.45am. Worth a gold medal alone I'd say.

No queues, no hassle just the friendliest faces, lots of fun and a really warm welcoming atmosphere. We came in past the Aquatic Centre and the cheers were immense, really lifting everyone and made us feel that we weren't on the edge of the venues looking in, but part of this amazing show.

Just as we arrived The Queen headed home and we had a fabulous view of her with the Duke, Princess Anne and Lord Coe sweeping out of the Park. The boys were amazed and were impressed she was up and about so early today; that parachute jump must have taken it out her.

It's a truly magnificent place the Olympic Park. The venues are enormous and very imposing and the wild flower meadows are just stupendous, like flowing rivers of jewels. I'd seen them featured on Gardener's World and was hoping they'd not been washed out by all the rain. But they're stunning and there are buds and other plants maturing to take the display through the Games and right on to the end of the Paralympics.

Paths and rivers wind right through the meadows and they sort of settle and link everywhere together and whereever you look people stop and stare and gently let their hands waft through cornflowers, corncockle and poppies. Its magical.

When you think that this part of Stratford was one of the most polluted places in Europe, the Games has transformed it into a beautiful oasis, full of colour, nature and the most fantastic facilities that will bring so much to so many for the future.

That and the amazing attitude of all the volunteers and staff we met made me feel all wobbly and quite teary I can tell you.

Still not sure about the Orbit though - whoppingly expensive and it looked strangely out of place and even quite old fashioned to me. 

It really felt as if all the world was there today, we heard so many languages and saw people from every continent.

Part Two of the day was all about the bikes.You know we're cycling buffs in our house so the chance to cheer on the GB boys who've only just returned from the Tour de France was all part of the plan.

We headed for Green Park right alongside Buckingham Palace and with the sun still shining, deckchairs out and ice-cream on tap it was a brilliant and very British-style spot to while away some very nervous hours while we listened to commentary of how it was all going a bit wrong for them.

Such a shame but they gave it everything and being the best team in the world has big consequences in the politics of the peleton. Most of the riders out today have spent the last month shadowing and learning our guys tactics on the Tour and with a team only half the size it was never going to be totally in their control, (especially when the other teams decided to sit back and let GB do all the work), and would never be the walk over the press would have us believe.

Just to cheer them as a sort of thank you for the Tour was such a great opportunity for us bike nuts (not that I go anywhere far on my bike with a basket!)

So despite the disappointment we had a most brilliant day and all for nothing bar the travel to London; (a free family travel card came with the free Park tickets). Roll on the rest of The Games!