Just for you guys I have walked miles today. As I’m not press accredited (boo hoo)I was unable to join the media viewing of the cross country course this afternoon but I can tell you what it looks like from outside of the fence! I'm even going to include some photos taken through the fence and hope that the Olympic powers that be don't throw me in jail for it
First, overall impressions. I’ve been to Greenwich a few times prior to this and the first thing that strikes me is that it simply isn’t very busy. This morning there were fewer people milling about than on a normal touristy day and finding a quiet pub for lunch was easy (can highly recommend The Trafalgar just down from The Royal Naval Academy). As we left the crowds were gathering to watch the Opening Ceremony on the big screens and things were picking up but the overall atmosphere is lively but very low key.
Looking up from the bottom of the hill, the arena stands rise up majestically behind the Queen’s House. To the left and looking over the arena from up the hill is the Royal Observatory and overseeing everything is an amazing aerial camera which covers the entire length of the Park and across the Thames. As we were walking along the cameras were silently whizzing along above our heads and they should give a really interesting view of all of the action.
However there are heaps of huge trees in the Park which will no doubt cause headaches for cameramen and maybe riders if they don’t look out. From our walk around the Flower Garden, which is the only area still open to the public, the roped off course looks stunning. The grass is manicured and the route is lined with a profusion of hanging flower baskets bursting with colour. The few fences we could see are also beautifully displayed; more than that I can’t tell you as we couldn’t get close enough but tomorrow we’ll have a detailed report of the course from Wendy Schaeffer.
We walked the entire perimeter of the Park – extended by a large service area at the top end where the horse trucks are parked and where all of the stable requirements seem to be kept. Following the wall round and coming back down the hill past the Ranger’s House, the stable areas can be viewed from the road. Each of the stable blocks is adorned with national flags and we soon spotted the Kiwi camp with Toddy and Eric Duvander relaxing outside; a few horses were being grazed in hand and I think I spotted Jock Paget coming back from a ride. A few yards on we saw Nina Ligon also sitting outside her stable area with some of her Thailand support crew.
The weather would have been perfect for competing today; overcast, mild and, although slightly muggy, very pleasant however the forecast is for temperatures to fall and probable rain sometime during the next few days.
Tonight we’ll be in front of the TV in our house in Lewisham enjoying the Opening Ceremony spectacle like millions of others around the world. Most of the eventers won’t be involved in the ceremony as dressage kicks off tomorrow and we’ll be watching every second live in the arena we could only view from a distance today.
