This morning we set off, after checking the weather forecast, in brilliant sunshine, parked the car at Sidcup and caught the train into Charing Cross. Our aim, to see the Women's Marathon, set amongst the famous streets of London. Great excitement.
But alas, when we arrived it was teeming with rain, and people too, of course. Luckily I had my umbrella tucked away at the bottom of my handbag, not a normal habit, but acquired this year due to the persistent wet weather. So we set off, close together, both holding the umbrella to keep it stable.
But first 'The Shard', a new building in London Bridge, which looks like a shard of glass, hence its name. The rain spots are beginning to show on the window of the carriage.
The pedestrian bridge by Charing Cross Station. Plenty of wet people, umbrellas, and sensible people with ponchos over their clothes. We found out at this point there was no stopping on the bridge.
So we made our way carefully down the stairs, with great co-ordination, and co-operation, taking place between Walter and me, with one small umbrella between us. We arrived at the bottom of the stairs just in time to capture a glimpse of the cameras and umbrellas as the runners came past.
We then continued on our way along the Embankment until we came to an area where the officials were letting people cross to the river side of the road, so we sprinted across, carefully holding the umbrella between us. And we found a really good spot there, right beside the red telephone box. Only one line of people in front of us. Brilliant. Walter was left to hold the umbrella at this point. I stood very close to him, very romantic.
And we were rewarded with a great view of the runners as they came past. And we could also see when they ran on the other side of the road too, as the Embankment was a two way track. The runners came past on both sides of the road, two more times, which gave us six opportunities to see them, so the three hours went by very quickly.
The Olympic officials (all volunteers), deep in discussion, about the current state of affairs, not known to us. The uniforms are very well designed and attractive. The deep purple tops, with bright red trims, really stand out, and of course the cream trousers and grey shoes finish the outfits off. Each volunteer is equipped with a complete outfit, including a jacket, cap, umbrella and bag. Adidas obviously won the contract, as their name is emblazoned on the clothes.
This young man was amazing, as he tried to keep the crowd occupied while we were waiting for the runners to come back from the Tower Bridge circuit. He got everyone involved in making Mexican Waves, and cheering, and singing. It created such a positive atmosphere.
And here the runners come again, but first the open media truck, full of men with very large cameras.
By the time the runners came past the third, and final time, they had spread out considerably. There were four runners in the lead, and the next few runners were some minutes behind them, so you knew who would get the first four places. As we know now, the race was won by an Ethiopian woman, Tiki Gelana. The two runners below were quite a distance behind the first four runners, but they were still running well.
And then it was all over. We walked back in the sunshine along the park that runs beside the embankment. We should have bought our packed lunch. There were many empty seats. And lovely sunshine.
Deck chairs? I can never understand why people want to sit in a deckchair, mainly due to the fact that I can never get out out of them. They are such undignified pieces of furniture.
Then off to lunch at a pub opposite the National Portrait Gallery. Very relaxing. Good food too.
Trafalgar Square was really buzzing, but it was time to catch our train home. A very quiet trip home, thankfully.
A thoroughly enjoyable day. Very exciting. And we were not disappointed, even though it rained heavily at the beginning and the end of the marathon.
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