Olympic Torch passing Big Ben

The Olympics being in London had never really interested me much. We would hear about it on the news almost every day for months. Whether it was news of the G4S security scandal or the spending on the Olympics going up, it was hard to escape it. It was only until I saw the torch when I was at university that I really understood how important it was. How big and significant the Olympics coming to London really was. Yesterday I saw it for the third time. The first time I saw the torch was when it passed my university, the second time when it passed my home town and the third time was yesterday when it passed Big Ben.

The first time I saw the torch as it passed near my university campus.

My family from Malaysia had come over to England to see the Olympics this summer. They had tickets for 4 events and were eager to catch some of the build up and atmosphere in London. So yesterday me and my brother took my uncle, my aunt and my cousin into Central London to see the torch at Westminster. London was amazing!!!! It’s my home city so it has always been a special place for me but the atmosphere was just buzzing yesterday!!! There were so many tourists bustling around and the weather was great too. The sun was out and it was scorching hot!!! People were walking round excitedly taking pictures of the sights. We went through London Victoria and the atmosphere was great!!! They had hung British flags up in rows from the ceiling. I felt very patriotic. The only other time I’d seen flags like that was when I passed through a Protestant town in Northern Ireland.

The rows of flags hanging at London Victoria.

We then took the tube to Westminster station. I’d never been to that station before. It’s quite nice. My family were complaining that it was quite dark and dingy like a dungeon but I liked that about it. It was different. It had minimal lighting and the escalators were lit up which made it look really nice. It reminded me a lot of the underground stations in Washington D.C. When we came out we were met by the amazing sight of Big Ben which stood tall and imposing in front of us. I had never seen it that close before and it was such an incredible sight. I felt an overwhelming sense of pride in my home city and our amazing history. Westminster was glistening in the afternoon light. Me and my cousin walked across the Bridge and took loads of photos together.

 

The torch passed Big Ben just after 6pm. The clock chimed 6pm and moments later the crowds erupted as the torch bearer came running down Bridge Street. He stopped in front of the world media as they were eager to capture a shot of the torchbearer and the torch outside Big Ben. Everyone was trying to get a closer look snapping away at their cameras. He stopped at Parliament Square for a while, which was where I was standing so we really got to have a good look at the torchbearer and the torch and soak up the moment. It was incredible and such an amazing sight.