Posted on 08/17/2004 6:11:43 AM PDT by longtermmemmory
By clicking on the above link you see the results of the current medal rankings.
As of right now the USA is fourth. It is China that is number one in the totals.
First a little interesting point to those conservatives who travel. At the airport at JFK there are no conservative books. Actually Denny Hassert’s book was in the corner of one book seller. Bill Clinton’s book is available at all stores and the stores seem to be stuck with a bunch of them. Multiple issues of Michael Moore’s books are available, all the books condemning GWBush are available. The conservative traveler is ignored by booksellers. Just in case I did ask for “unfit for command”, the terse no said all I needed to know. Ahh the joys of JFK.
Airport security in the USA was efficient. I have consistently found the TSA’s move passengers through pretty quick. No complaints here.
Upon arrival in Athens and passing through customs. All suitcases are X-rayed before passing through the final doorway INTO the country. Makes sense. You never know who bribed who on the start of a traveler’s trip.
Inside Athens street closures are annoying but manageable. Most Athenians who do not need to be in Athens have gone on vacation.
Ordinary people have their Greek flags EVERYWHERE. It is almost like post 9/11 in the USA. In fact the national pride here is infectious because they are taking this so personally.
Not only are security of one form or another ubiquitous, so are the “help guides”. They are all over and seem to have a central location to call to get info if they don’t have info.
When they say ticket sales are slow it is for the Boooooring preliminary stuff. All final rounds have been sold out for a while. Despite the media moaning, lines are still at least an hour long.
The scandal with the doping by the two Greek sprinters has been a big disappointment here. The general consensus of my unscientific observations is that they should be banned and the accident was a subterfuge. The right thing must be done even if it hurts. Can’t find fault in that. Here it is yesterday’s news and it seems the Greek media is having more fun reporting how CNN is living by the motto “bad news is good news for the press”.
As for the British reporter sneaking in with a fake bomb or something to that effect that was snuck into a secure area. He is full of excrement. You don’t sneak anywhere here, people do observe and a fat white british guy with gray hair does not fit the profile of a terrorist. Especially when he has been vetted for a press pass. I have personally seen a Greek Secruity person telling some official in a Olympic event car (donated by Hyundai) “to move it or loose it.”
Into events all bags are hand checked, magnetometer everywhere. The ones I passed through were staffed by military persons.
With regards to the negative media. Greeks here in the media are suggesting these reporters are just looking for a story. One talking head said it is “opposition to Blair” hoping people will die so they can blame the Iraq situation and Greece is caught in the middle.
Mexican media is here and are were observed doing some sort of goofy thing with a Aztec feather headdress. There is also some Mexican gentleman who drove an old ford (shipped?) and called it a peace trip.
If you think the images of the bicycles passing the Acropolis were dramatic on TV, it was 10fold more dramatic in person.
Cleaning crews are on constant cleaning cycles. It is almost to the point of old Disney standards. But they can’t beat the pigeons. They seem to have an armada of these baby dump trucks that are constantly collecting garbage of the street sweepers.
Its hot.
Prices have NOT been jacked up in most tourist nick nak shops that I consistently shop.
McDonalds in Greece has the REAL McDonalds fried apple pie. Not that ridiculous pop-tart they sell in the states now.
Carl Lewis was here and said of the six games he has attended these are the most well organized.
One consistent theme is being an up do date modern country. IOW not just focusing on the ancient but showcasing the modern efforts. The country is pushing to show it is not living in the past but is looking to building a future.
Of course there is that problem of building a future in a city where every construction project finds antiquities. The solution has been to build the buildings over the excavation and then put glass sidewalks over the excavation.
One poor dead person has their 3000 year old bones on display in the main metro station.
Speaking of the metro, it is complete clean and actually useful. Still prefer to drive.
Fashion statement of the games is to wear your national flag as a cape. I have even seen an American flag worn this way. The ONLY people I personally observed who seemed to have been bothered by US flag waving were some young people who looked like they were french students.
The media may try and “create” a story here by spinning negative stories but the experience of actually being here in the heart of the situation, in my eyes-ears-and-feel, is a completely different story. I will check back as often as I can. It has only started for a few days but WOW.
Excellent report! bttt
Thanks for your post. That's interesting regarding the ticket sales. I watched swimming and Men's gymnastics finals that had more empty seats than Turner Field.
Fascinating report. Thank you!!!
For me that actually raises suspicions of terrorists ties..
The British press has particularly been anti-athens for this olympics. I wonder if it is because the Elgin Marbles are returning?
What a great report. I'm glad it's going well for the Greeks, and for the visitors. Greece is one place I would like to visit. Have fun!!
Great report and insight. My cousin is driving one of those Hyundais, and knowing his driving record, It wouldn't surprise me if that was him that the cop yelled at!
Typical media, can't find the positive. Have fun and don't drink too much ouzo!
Oh yeah, if you see any male gymnasts (like you could tell anyway) my 8 y.o. son wants to know how they can do a split and it doesn't hurt.
Greek media is having more fun reporting how CNN is living by the motto “bad news is good news for the press”.
Good for the Greeks. They get it, now we can only hope that Americans are seeing through CNN and our media.
Clean metro... in Greece?
Greetings from Greece. I am at the Olympics and I am going through Free Republic withdrawal. Security is everywhere and I thought I would tell some interesting points.
Thank you for this. Freepers..We're EVERYWHERE!
It has recently been discovered by RONDOG that John Kerry served in Viet-Nam, and was a HEro will there. I'll try to get more of this breaking news to you.
BOY it sure would be nice if SOMEONE there would continue to give us updates.
/Gosh am I subtle.
I've been watching the 'exciting' final rounds in swimming, etc. Either one of two things. A) you're caught up in 'just-being-there' and can't see what's going on or B) NBC just has really lousy camera angles that are picking up the corner seats in the stadiums [stadia?]. I've heard NBC try to say that gymnastics, for example, doesn't really interest the Greeks. So that's how they explain that one. Same for weight lifting, etc. I wonder what they DID buy those tickets for? Maybe there's a party afterward, and dancing?
You know, I'm thinking the Oakland Raiders might put more people in the seats, this year, than you see for these Olympics finals.
As for everything looking new - well, sure. Didn't you know? They built all this stuff, just recently. They were in such a hurry with that subway that they just created little museums on the fly. So apparently people are walking up and down the subways like they were in one of the National museums.
You don't hear him complaining, though, do you?
"McDonalds in Greece has the REAL McDonalds fried apple pie"
MMMMMMM, my fave! That alone is worth going all the way to Greece.
Well, people may find it "fashionable" to wear the flag as a cape - and if the Greeks or anyone else want to do that...be my guest. However, the American flag is NOT supposed to be worn -- at all!!!
I'm speaking of an actual American flag itself - not symbols of flags or articles of clothing with flag designs...those are all ok. It is spelled out specifically in our flag protocol that the flag is not to be worn in any manner; it is to be treated as a living, breathing being. I think veterans, myself included, who have fought honorably to keep it flying can attest to that.
I saw an interview on TV the other day with an American family visiting Greece and they were "proudly" wearing the flag as a cape. I can admire their patriotism, but it is a bit much I think - and misguided as well.
Remember all the uproar a few years back when Madonna wore the flag in that commercial to "rock the vote", I believe?
Same concept. It's disrespectful, plain and simple.
Lots of stretching, and lots of warm-up.
The U.S. media are also bothered by our flag.
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