Day 4 - update and Buckingham Palace

So an update on the last few days...

Sunday -  Spent the afternoon in Convent Garden market...can you believe no rose painters!"!!, may have to come here n sell my paintware!!..
I worked  the evening shift  today and it was cut short as my former teammate Bonnie & her husband Brad Kilb came for a visit to COH.   I was able to spend a couple of hours as an Olympian in COH and socialize with them!!  This basically means that I can turn my badge over and show my 'picture' as official status.  Bonnie was explaining her job as the Technical Official for indoor volleyball.  Very proper and strict.  They have to wear official uniforms (including skirt, scarf and hat) as they get on the bus to travel to arena, change once they get there, and put uniform back on when leave the arena.  For this small inconvenience they were able to go to the opening & closing ceremonies!!! (check Bonnie Macrae-Kilb if you are on FB for her pictures).   They are doing the stats, which means one person in the group of 3 is the caller and the other 2 need to enter (player number/ degree of move, result of action) all while looking ahead always and trying to hear over the earpiece in the midst of all the noise.  Volleyball both indoor & beach have the best atmosphere and it is always great to hear of first timers watching for the first time, they are hooked!!!   One of the 'celebs' that came thru COH tonight was Sex and the City's Samantha, Kim Catrall.  Bonnie and i took a pic with her and will post once I get it.  Took the tube home at night which I felt very safe.

Monday - back on the day shift so early morning and doing what everyone else does on the tube, sleep!!... Good thing I always get a seat as I am at the end of the line.  The morning shift was a little slower, so I sat and watched the beach volleyball match (CAN vs NOR men) with Jolan Storch (COC legal counsel & former vb player) and Sylvie Bigras.  I was posted at the door leading to the washroom so i had a glimpse of all the exciting & nervous family and friends of the athletes. 

Today was the first medal celebration for the bronze synchro diving medal at the COH.  There is a 500 person capacity with 150 of that made up of staff & catering.  Unfortunately with all the media coming in to cover the event, the first shift of volunteers had to leave early so that room was allowed for the extra flow of media.  So I missed seeing that first ceremony.  Being in Trafalgar Square means also that the National Gallery and National Portrait Gallery are beside COH.  I walked thru the Portrait gallery and saw beautiful paintings of the Tudor era.. spectacular..  Tired from standing most of the day so headed home and watched the BBC most of the evening.

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Tuesday - Had a day off from COH, so put on my tourist hat and went to visit the Queen.  The day was cool and threatening rain (actually rained but I was inside for tea & scones, so missed it all).  You can check my day in the pictures section.

I have been here for a week already and have not experienced any lineups that aren't reasonable, no cramming on the tubes as I always get a seat and no lineups in the normal tourist areas...with 4 million Londoners exiting the city, it is great for us tourists!!.. As you can see in the front of Buckingham Palace hardly anyone around. 

Did coffee & shopping at the Queen's store all day long!!!

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