Seen With My Own Eyes and My Games Schedule

[ihpguy]

Look for me tomorrow at the Maracana. Opening Ceremonies - Section 115 Row O. Oprah is arriving with Michelle and the girls. Maybe we'll be sitting together LOL

Saturday and Sunday with fencing followed by sessions of men's and women's gymnastics in the Barra Olympic Park.

Monday with swimming and more fencing back in Barra. Tuesday at Marina da Gloria to see the sailors get ready. In my younger days I raced 2 different Olympic classes -Finns and 470

Wednesday out to Deodoro for 6 games of Rugby 7's with the men beating on each other - maybe I'll see an New Zealand haka? - followed by Canoe Slalom. Way too cool.

Thursday I am working doing the floral designs for a supper in honor of the Grand Duke of Luxembourg back out in Barra by the Maripendi Lagoon.

Friday through Monday in Sao Paulo with a friend visiting from up north.

The second week has cycling at the Olympic velodrome, a session of track and field at the Engenhao and finishing up with the men's basketball semifinals and final. Go Team USA.

 

I've been in and around the city the past few days. Yesterday's 6 women's football games went off without a hitch in Sao Paulo, Rio de Janeiro and the Minerao in BH.

Today the men are in action. Tomorrow the Sambodromo hosts some archery even before the official opening ceremonies at the Maracana.

The VLT line is completed and operation. The second line was never planned to be operating before the games began.

Praca XV has been turned into the "Boulevard Olimpica"  with over a dozen food trucks, dozens of Skol beer stands, a Nike video cube, Nissan hospitality installation. Various video screens. Multiple bathrooms with water tanks in places that look like mini mobile homes. The CCBB has an art exhibition with 85 post-impressionist works from the Musee D'Orsay and Musee de L'Orangerie.

They've got the tunnel open and the route is completed linking Santos Dumont past Praca Maua all of the way to the bus station Novo Rio.

I was in Copacabana last week and the beach volleyball stadium is completed and enormous. 

Casa Suica at the Lagoa baseball field is done.

I was by the Stock Exchange today and nothing showing that Casa Australia was ready to open.

It looks ready to open the new Praca Candelaria by the Centro Cultural Banco do Brasil, the workers are gone, but the temporary construction fences are still up.

The even have my favorite, the Diana fountain running.

The biggest no-no is Guanabara Bay which I see and smell daily. Two or three months ago there was an interview with a politico who said that it was never in the card as the money for building the Deodoro complex came from the installations of new sewage treatment facilities.

[trencherman]

Wishing you and the rest of the cariocas all the best.

[axiom2001]

9 hours ago, trencherman said:

Wishing you and the rest of the cariocas all the best.

I extend my best wishes to the cariocas, the athletes, the visitors, and to you since you're part of us here!  I truly, truly hope that this major event goes off without any super-major catastrophe.  ...just viewed a wonderful HBO Sports program which was moderated by Bryan Gumble.  This upcoming Olympics was featured.  The only negative was the part about the Guanabara Bay.  I began to question myself: if I were an athlete, would I go into that super-foul and disease-prone waters!!