One of the great things about the cruising life is having your home in the right place at the right time. And today was one of those days….
The Olympic Flame made its official arrival in Victoria this morning from Greece and, as part of the public ceremony, a Dragon Boat carrying several area First Nation’s chiefs and a miner’s lamp with the flame arrived dockside at the marina we’re staying at. With all of the security surrounding the event we don’t know why, but we were allowed to stand next to the gangway and watch – literally feet away from the action. After receiving permission to land from the local chief, they disembarked and walked to The Legislative Building where there was a large stage set up and the first torch was waiting. After a few welcomes and speeches by esteemed guests, including the Premier of BC and the Prime Minister of Canada, the cauldron was lit along with the first torch, and the 2010 Olympic Torch Relay began.
By this time, we had walked up to the street in front of The Empress and took our places alongside the barricades to watch the flame come past as it began its 30,000 mile-long journey across Canada. It all happened very quickly and was over in a matter of seconds, but was exciting just the same.
That night there was a big celebration on the lawns of Parliament with music, dancing, and the final appearance of the flame in Victoria. It was scheduled to arrive at 6 pm so we got there at 5 to get a good spot. And we did – front and center. It started to rain shortly afterwards and didn’t stop. By the time 8 o’clock rolled around, we were tired, soaked to the bone and cold, so we gave up our spots and started to walk back to the boat. Not ten minutes had passed when the torch finally showed up and the moment we had been waiting for was over. We did manage one last glimpse as it was carried down the street but missed the all of the excitement on stage. We weren’t too disappointed. All and all, it was an amazing day and something neither one of us ever imagined we’d have the opportunity to do – we just happened to be in the right place at the right time….
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