The opening ceremony did not disappoint. After wandering around the city this week and feeling the buzz of excitement leading up to the Games, it was great to see the grand celebration and hear the Brits sigh with relief that they actually pulled it off. Walking home from dinner last night, every living room was lit up with TV screens showing the opening.

On July 28, we took the bus to Richmond Park for the men's road race. Because we confused the start times with tomorrow's women's road race, we actually arrived there very early (I'm talking hours). So, we enjoyed our picnic in the pastoral setting, sampled ice cream from the Mr. Whippy van, played some disk and waited ... and waited some more.

When they finally rode by, it was so incredibly fast that the cyclists were a blur, but we felt the air whoosh by us and had to jump back a step. Everyone cheered wildly for all the cyclists and waved the flags that they have had out since last month's Jubilee.

It was another gorgeous sunny day in Richmond Park and the race added all the excitement that you would expect.

*Photos by Jennifer Duval