NBC also said that they thought Natalie swam her way into the finals.

Results at bottom of this page
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Gold to Australia
Silver to The Netherlands
Bronze to USA
12th Olympic Medal over 3 Olympics to Natalie Coughlin
She did not swim tonight buts gets a medal for her swim that qualified team for finals

Way to go Natalie, an even dozen. Hope you can now stick around and enjoy the rest of the Olympics - and all the accolades you deserve.

Busy day--out from 0730-0100, and that included a van ride with a whole bunch of constables. Long story and no time to tell it now. I do have lots of notes and hope to get some narrative out in the next day or two when I can sit in the hotel with a charged netbook and work on things. With only one adapter I haven't been able to charge the netbook, tablet, batteries and cell phone, and last night the netbook with photos was the loser when it came to what I had to bring along today.

We have visited two different hospitality centers and have seen the Queen at the pool this morning, and the First Lady at the pool tonight (at the very end when I came down from the high altitude seats that don't allow you to even see the stands across the pool because of what looks like a belly of a whale blocking the view--what a horrible design). I'm uploading exactly five photos now so I can try to get to bed by 0130 again.

At the pool after Natalie swam her leg in the 4 X 100 freestyle relay:



Her Majesty The Queen pops in for a look about:



Natalie Coughlin on the starting blocks for her relay event:



The First Lady with US Olympic Swimmer Summer Sanders:



Leaving the Olympic Grounds tonight:



I know many of you are looking forward to my photos and as time permits I will get them on line.

Thanks for your comments. Hope I'm off to a good start with the time I have.

Thanks for the updates on Natalie as well as the picture of the Queen, Tom. It's much appreciated. Here's a nice article from one of Natalie's home area newspapers:

http://www.insidebayarea.com/olympics/ci_21181152

Thanks for sharing this with FT!

This is great! I've been watching the Olympics on TV, and it's great to get a live report on FT too. Thanks for sharing and enjoy!

Great report.

Tom911 thanks for the very nice report and all the pictures, I'm off to the aquatic Centre next week and I wonder if you can remember what block you were in to give me an idea of my view as I'm up in the gods as well.

DMF

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A scorpion in Sweden?

I've been up in 405 and 401 and you could see the pool and not much else. I'm working on photos right now so if you're up in the 400 section you'll have an idea. Even when I moved down into the 300s I couldn't see huge sections of the stands across the pool. Be prepared to hike up a series of metal stairs--several flights. Not for the weak of heart.

FRIDAY

Arrival in London

Made our way to our respective hotels, the Coughlins near Westminster Bridge and Tom near Tower Hill. When I arrived at my hotel I saw some TV coverage about the Olympic Torch being on a barge near Tower Bridge, so walked over there, just 10 mins away, but no sign of it. Gather it had probably already passed by and it might have been video from earlier in the day. Did take some photos in the area of the Olympic Rings atop Tower Bridge and of a platform on the Thames across from London City Hall. Walked down the Thames to London Bridge Tube where I worked my way back to the Coughlins hotel.



Friday night we went to the Proctor and Gamble hospitality center. This is a large multi-room two-story unmarked complex, near the London Bridge station, for U.S. Olympic families. After registering, we found seats in front of a large wall-mounted TV and watched the opening ceremonies from here. Had a hard time finding this center as we came out the wrong end of the Tube station and had to backtrack a few blocks. Lots of U.S. families here from all Olympic sports. They did serve food (I had a huge hamburger) which included chicken, Indian dishes and pot pies, and there was a bar with beer, wine and soft drinks. We referred to one area as the “man cave” as you descended a stairway to find pool tables, beer and a place to get a shave. There was a woman's salon two floors up with two posters of Natalie on the wall. We were there until almost 0100 and then worked our way back to out hotels via Tube.

Natalie's Pantene poster on the wall of the salon (one of two there):



One of the viewing rooms:



Circle Line at 0120 after opening ceremonies



MORE

SATURDAY

Out the door at 0730 for Natalie's event at the pool, the prelims of 4 X 100 freestyle relay. Zipped through security and was on the Olympic grounds about 45 mins after leaving my hotel. When you come through security the first venue you have on the left side is the pool and the stadium up ahead. There were a number of heats and when all was done Australia was seeded first and USA second going into finals on Saturday night.

Some seats are high up, and if you're in the bleachers, as I was, require you to climb several flights of steep stairs, and then once you get there you can't see across the pool because of the vision obscurement. Here's exactly what I'm talking about with the high seats on the left in the first photo and the view once there in the second photo:





Walked around the Olympic grounds for about 2 hours after morning swimming, including a visit to the Olympic shop (didn't buy a thing � I was not impressed with the designs or costs), and then made our way via a long walk to the taxi stand past the Westfield Mall (a good mile from the pool) to grab a cab to Club Speedo which was located in a light industrial area nearby. Once we arrived at the address we were given we were told we had come to the wrong location and to go around the block. Went around the block and saw fences and brick walls. Didn't really look like an area you'd want to go out exploring. Fortunately, some constables in an unmarked silver van noticed we looked a little out of place and told us to jump in. They took us to Speedo offices nearby, but once we were in the building we were informed that was not the correct location either. We were directed across the canal to another location. One of the constables walked us over to exactly where the cab dropped us off. He was not from this area and was not aware that Speedo had a suite at a beach club on the canal. Turns out it was about 2 blocks away at the end of a street adjoining a canal, just a 5 minute walk from where the cab first dropped us. Not just that, but it was right across the canal from the stadium IF you knew the proper exit to take. We were turned back at the exit we were directed to as it was for accredited personnel only. Don't think we ever would have found it on our own even if we had walked over.

The constables did give all of us 999 Olympic pins (999 is the emergency number in the UK).

Speedo offered some sandwiches as well as wine and soft drinks. USA Olympic legend Jenny Thompson stopped by (she and Natalie both hold 12 Olympic medals now). Natalie is under contract with Speedo and her family knows a lot of their staff.

View from Club Speedo:



About 6pm it was time to head back We were given directions for a circuitous route through roads and walkways leading into the back of the Olympic stadium, and it worked. About 10 minutes after leaving we were going through security.

We watched the USA women bring home a bronze medal in 4X100 freestyle relay. Natalie, due to her role in qualfiying the team, brings home bronze.

Had late dinner just outside the Olympic grounds at the Westfield Mall. I went to a Caribbean stall for BBQ chicken, cole slaw and potato salad, and others in our group had fish and chips. We left the Stratford train station around 2330 (my world time watch had somehow jumped up a zone and put me in Madrid-- last night I thought we didn't leave there until 0030 and I was worried about making connections on transit that late). Worked out O.K., though.

SUNDAY

Slept in until 10 this morning and needed it. Left at 11 for the Coughlins hotel and it had just started raining when I arrived. First stop was Waterloo Tube to get 7 day Travel Cards loaded onto our Oyster cards (34 pounds for 3 zones, about $52). We worked our way up to Oxford Street to a T-Mobile shop so Zennie could have her phone looked at, as it had stopped working last night (we all have T-Mobile UK sims that we purchased in Edinburgh for our cell phones). They sent us up to the Westfield Shopping Center at Shepherds Bush Tube station, a couple stations away, where we spent an hour at the Everything Everywhere store having them update software on her phone and get it back in working shape.

Headed back to Proctor and Gamble center for late lunch, arriving about 4pm. Still raining. Dinner service started at 5pm. I had pizza and other offerings were fish and chips and beef stew. A buffet line with salmon, beef and salads was available later in the evening ((I made a trip back for some salad). Topped dinner off with brownies and gelato. While sitting here we watched the NBC Olympics feed from WNBC in New York. Within a 5 minute stretch we saw Natalie's TD Ameritrade commercial followed by her Pantene commercial (first I had seen that one). Jim says he saw her BMW commercial in his hotel since we've been here. I saw the Omega �Start Me Up� commercial a few times up in Scotland.

Watched Team USA swim on the big screen tonight. I won't post any results here. Left there about 2130 and back at my hotel before 2200. Should mention we Olympic medalist Summer Sanders stopped by and said hello. She was with the First Lady on Saturday night in the photos I took.

Tomorrow: we're going to rowing in Eton, up near Windsor Castle. Hope to be underway for the trek up there at 0800 from Waterloo station.

Photos from the Olympic grounds start here:
http://tom911.smugmug.com/2012Olympi...9902&k=N6V2Nhm

Photos from outside the Olympic grounds start here:
http://tom911.smugmug.com/2012Olympi...3031&k=59z395P

Nice. Just caught up on the results after being in NYC all day. You would not even know the olympics were on. nice come from behind by france in the 4B100 free. Phelps still got 17 but one less Au.

Tom thanks for your reply I'm in section 403 so I now know what to expect!! Enjoying the trip report a lot, thanks for taking the time to post^

DMF

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A scorpion in Sweden?