We spent Monday evening and Tuesday at the Paralympics. What an incredible and humbling experience! We watched the athletics in the stadium on Monday: I screamed myself hoarse cheering on Mickey Bushell as he won gold in the men's 100m T53. The men's F42 (amputee) high jump final was unbelievable, and we saw the men's 1500m T11 final (visually impaired runners running with guides).
the velomdrome
We walked into the park in the evening, carried along on the flow of excitement coming from the crowds and from the wonderful volunteers. Unsentimental and cynical as I am, I was surprised to find myself welling up, as I glimpsed a kind of wonderful utopia where ability/disability, race and age were immaterial.
The following day we explored the park... beautiful planting, lots of space to flop down in the grassy shade, clean spacious toilets with no queues! Plenty of alternatives to MacDonalds, stunning architecture... Another pleasant surprise was the music, both in the stadium and in the park... The Cure, The Jam, The Kinks, The Pixies, Teenage Fanclub and Joy Division. A refreshing alternative to anthemic rock and Hey Jude!
All in all, a wonderful experience!
