It was a beautiful day for walking along False Creek or anywhere in Vancouver. You could see the sun shining and the sky was the clearest Vancouver has seen lately. It was a great treat for the beginning of the Chinese new year and Valentine's Day.
I visited some of the Olympic houses today. I started the day by visiting Sochi House, home of the Russians, but there was a HUGE line to get in, estimated time to enter was three hours. Not wanting to be in line that long, I decided to continue to walk along False Creek and visit one of the other Olympic Houses.
Within minutes I arrived at the concept miniature house. The line had only a few people and I was able to see the concept house rather quickly. I then experienced the “Play On” exhibit which is an exhibit about helping children in underdeveloped countries pursue sports. The proceeds from any purchases made here go to charity. Best of all, the Play On Exhibit had no line.
I then ran into another line up at Saskatchewan House however the length of the line to get into the house was not as long as the one for Sochi House. I was in the door within 15 minutes but not before winning a shirt in line that read "Saskatchewan: Hard to spell. Easy to Draw". Once inside the Saskatchewan House, I watched a live band which was performed folksy rock music that played well. I stayed to listen to three or four songs and then wanted some food. I looked over the menu and decided to have perogies but when I went to order, I was informed the House did not have any on hand. So I left the tent and into the spherical structure of Saskatchewan House. Inside the sphere there was information about Saskatchewan Tourism. The most fun thing to do at this house was to take a picture of yourself with a Saskatchewan themed background. The pictures turned out great. My only issue with the house was that although there was a line outside, there were a lot of empty seats inside the performance tent.
I then went to Quebec House (La Maison de Quebec in French) where there was a line again. This time it was stretching around 100 meters but I only waited less than 5 minutes. Once inside I witnessed a band practising, probably doing a sound check for later in the evening. The House also catered good food and beverage. As I sat down to eat I started watching the men’s mogul freestyle finals en français. I watched athlete after athlete compete but by the end of the game there was only one gold medal winner and the crowd at Quebec House went wild. Alexandre Bilodeau became the first person to win a gold medal for Canada on home soil. Some of the people in attendance even performed a “cirque style” piece in celebration after he was announced the winner. After watching Jennifer Heil win silver last night, I was hoping Canadian athletes would start winning gold soon and Bilodeau came through today. I then left La Maison with much joy because I had just become part of a historic moment.
My last trip on Day 3 was Ontario House. There was no line to get into the House however to experience the 4D Ontario movie experience, there was a line-up which was long but that moved fairly fast, 20 minutes. The wait however was worth the wait. The movie was lifelike and had many great components. I don’t want to ruin the surprise for anyone so I won’t say what it entails; needless to say, it is a “must-go” place during the Olympics. After the movie I went into the House where there was live music, some food and beverage, plenty of fun games and new technology that was fun. You could play virtual floor hockey with an opponent or even change the lights pattern for an Ontario landmark, like the CN Tower, Niagara Falls or the parliament building. It was lots of fun.
With so many things to see, I am uncertain if 2 weeks will be enough to see everything!!!
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