So with that, my Sochi 2014 Olympic experience has come to an end. However, before it becomes a distant memory, I'd like to recap my experience in a few parts. I will hopefully write about the different myths that overshadowed this games and my overall experience in Sochi. But first, I'd like to do a simple list of my Highs, Lows and Somewhere-In-Betweens.
Highs
Weather: As much as I would love a snowy backdrop to all the events, tail-gating to all the events in the coastal cluster in shorts is great. Add to it that there were muskoka chairs around, and you have a real recipe for success. It still, however, was not warm enough for a dip in the Black Sea as I learned the hard way.
Security: With all the fears going in, they really managed to do this right. Security was everywhere and in everything you did. You couldn't board the train or get into your hotel without airport-style security. Streets were lined with policeman. And yet, somehow, it didn't seem intrusive. I did not feel inconvenienced. It was not in-your-face. I was never asked to show my passport or to stop having fun after a few too many beers. And at no point did I feel unsafe, even walking to the train station at 3 am.
The Fears: With all the fears coming into this games, the comraderie of those attended seemed greater than ever. Not only that, but it meant that loads of free tickets from corporate sponsors were frequently available as there was no to take them. Moreover, the park and venues were generally not crowded creating a more small-event feel than was evident during London or Vancouver. Not saying that it was better, but it was nice to see something different. It also made the athletes and media more accessible so it was easier to hear about the "other side" of the games.
Alcohol Prices: Perhaps we've been jaded by $10+ beers at sporting events (and with good reason) but I was apprehensive about how much I would spend on beer throughout the trip. Turns out, this was a non-factor. $5 or less beers. For tall boys. Add in the open bar at COH and you've got a much smaller tab than I could have ever imagined.
The Venues: Now I cannot speak of the area surrounding the venues, but the venues themselves were pretty damn nice. Sure there was high railings in the short track arena. Sure there were some obstructed seats in the hockey (even the first row!). But they looked and felt great.
The People: This is always going to be one of the biggest highs for me. I love meeting people. And meeting people at the Olympics is like a whole other level. It is just simply awesome. In a matter of days, you seemingly forge life-long friendships. This Olympics surely did not disappoint in this regard.
Lows
Queuing: Russians simply do not know how to do it. You could be standing in front of a register with money to pay and somehow someone would bud in front of you. You could be second in line but the person who is first in line seems to "know" everyone behind you. They will bend you and they will try to break you. They did on multiple occasions.
Food: Food options were severely lacking. Especially when you consider how diverse Vancouver and London were. Up in the mountain cluster, your only options were hot dogs, doughnuts and pancakes. Now I love all three of those so you know how lacklustre those products must have been to make it on my "Lows" list. Even in the park, there were only a couple of locations where you could get something slightly different. And usually, those lines were long (see previous "Low").
No Alcohol Sold in Venues: Your eyes do not deceive you. This was honestly true. How can this be? From a nation that loves its alcohol? This meant that you had to scout which vendors would sell you unopened tall boys so that you could sneak it into the venues. While this made for a bit of a fun game, it was irritating when you would run out. Or if you were up in the mountain cluster and had no choice. Worse of all, they sold non-alcoholic beer at the venues to try and throw you off. Sneaky bastards.
Souvenirs: This was probably the thing they did the worst. Have you seen some of the stuff? Just plain ugly. And some of the more functional things you would want such as a lanyard with a ticket holder, post cards, photo albums? Non-existent. This games was utterly underwhelming in this regard. So much so that I actually purchased nothing. Pretty unbelievable.
No Water Fountains: Pretty self explanatory. Pretty different from the last couple games where water was abundant. Not sure I would have drank tap water but why couldn't coke get in there with some dasani coming out of taps?!
The "Sochi" Olympics: Man, how misleading is that? I stayed in Sochi expecting to be somewhat close to the action. Not so. The games took place about 30 miles south of where I was staying. There wasn't even many real options for being closer. It seems more fitting to have it called the Adler Olympics. I know it's all in the Sochi region but let's call a spade a spade!
Somewhere-In-Between
Celebrity Status: I think this was my first glimpse into what it must feel like to be a celebrity. You could not walk 10 steps, it seemed, without someone asking for a picture to be taken with you. At first it was cute, and then it was fun, but after awhile, you just really wanted to get down to some drinking or to get to your event. I never turned anyone down and I always obliged with a thumbs up and smile but it was a strange experience taking so many pictures.
Transportation: I think that the trains were reliable and good from Sochi to the Olympic Park. I think they were also good from Sochi to Krasnaya Polyana. However, where things seemed poor was after events on the mountain cluster. There were simply too many people being bottlenecked and not a good contingency plan. There was no ability to walk anywhere. If you walked, you were simply walking to a gondola which would just take you to another bottleneck waiting for a bus. I wasn't the biggest fan of this situation but for the most part I think the transportation was well handled.
And I think that's it! Thanks for reading!
Highs
Weather: As much as I would love a snowy backdrop to all the events, tail-gating to all the events in the coastal cluster in shorts is great. Add to it that there were muskoka chairs around, and you have a real recipe for success. It still, however, was not warm enough for a dip in the Black Sea as I learned the hard way.
Security: With all the fears going in, they really managed to do this right. Security was everywhere and in everything you did. You couldn't board the train or get into your hotel without airport-style security. Streets were lined with policeman. And yet, somehow, it didn't seem intrusive. I did not feel inconvenienced. It was not in-your-face. I was never asked to show my passport or to stop having fun after a few too many beers. And at no point did I feel unsafe, even walking to the train station at 3 am.
The Fears: With all the fears coming into this games, the comraderie of those attended seemed greater than ever. Not only that, but it meant that loads of free tickets from corporate sponsors were frequently available as there was no to take them. Moreover, the park and venues were generally not crowded creating a more small-event feel than was evident during London or Vancouver. Not saying that it was better, but it was nice to see something different. It also made the athletes and media more accessible so it was easier to hear about the "other side" of the games.
Alcohol Prices: Perhaps we've been jaded by $10+ beers at sporting events (and with good reason) but I was apprehensive about how much I would spend on beer throughout the trip. Turns out, this was a non-factor. $5 or less beers. For tall boys. Add in the open bar at COH and you've got a much smaller tab than I could have ever imagined.
The Venues: Now I cannot speak of the area surrounding the venues, but the venues themselves were pretty damn nice. Sure there was high railings in the short track arena. Sure there were some obstructed seats in the hockey (even the first row!). But they looked and felt great.
The People: This is always going to be one of the biggest highs for me. I love meeting people. And meeting people at the Olympics is like a whole other level. It is just simply awesome. In a matter of days, you seemingly forge life-long friendships. This Olympics surely did not disappoint in this regard.
Lows
Queuing: Russians simply do not know how to do it. You could be standing in front of a register with money to pay and somehow someone would bud in front of you. You could be second in line but the person who is first in line seems to "know" everyone behind you. They will bend you and they will try to break you. They did on multiple occasions.
Food: Food options were severely lacking. Especially when you consider how diverse Vancouver and London were. Up in the mountain cluster, your only options were hot dogs, doughnuts and pancakes. Now I love all three of those so you know how lacklustre those products must have been to make it on my "Lows" list. Even in the park, there were only a couple of locations where you could get something slightly different. And usually, those lines were long (see previous "Low").
No Alcohol Sold in Venues: Your eyes do not deceive you. This was honestly true. How can this be? From a nation that loves its alcohol? This meant that you had to scout which vendors would sell you unopened tall boys so that you could sneak it into the venues. While this made for a bit of a fun game, it was irritating when you would run out. Or if you were up in the mountain cluster and had no choice. Worse of all, they sold non-alcoholic beer at the venues to try and throw you off. Sneaky bastards.
Souvenirs: This was probably the thing they did the worst. Have you seen some of the stuff? Just plain ugly. And some of the more functional things you would want such as a lanyard with a ticket holder, post cards, photo albums? Non-existent. This games was utterly underwhelming in this regard. So much so that I actually purchased nothing. Pretty unbelievable.
No Water Fountains: Pretty self explanatory. Pretty different from the last couple games where water was abundant. Not sure I would have drank tap water but why couldn't coke get in there with some dasani coming out of taps?!
The "Sochi" Olympics: Man, how misleading is that? I stayed in Sochi expecting to be somewhat close to the action. Not so. The games took place about 30 miles south of where I was staying. There wasn't even many real options for being closer. It seems more fitting to have it called the Adler Olympics. I know it's all in the Sochi region but let's call a spade a spade!
Somewhere-In-Between
Celebrity Status: I think this was my first glimpse into what it must feel like to be a celebrity. You could not walk 10 steps, it seemed, without someone asking for a picture to be taken with you. At first it was cute, and then it was fun, but after awhile, you just really wanted to get down to some drinking or to get to your event. I never turned anyone down and I always obliged with a thumbs up and smile but it was a strange experience taking so many pictures.
Transportation: I think that the trains were reliable and good from Sochi to the Olympic Park. I think they were also good from Sochi to Krasnaya Polyana. However, where things seemed poor was after events on the mountain cluster. There were simply too many people being bottlenecked and not a good contingency plan. There was no ability to walk anywhere. If you walked, you were simply walking to a gondola which would just take you to another bottleneck waiting for a bus. I wasn't the biggest fan of this situation but for the most part I think the transportation was well handled.
And I think that's it! Thanks for reading!
Loved to hear all about your Olympic adventures on facebook and your blog. I've always wanted to attend a games (fingers crossed my cousin will qualify for Rio) but so far I'm living vicariously through you. Thanks for the great posts, made me feel a bit closer to the action!
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