Olympic Flame to me and, as we crossed the Concourse, was excited to share their day.  His Dad had an

appointment in the morning and they had gone together.  Once the ‘have to’s’ were done, they had seized

the moment….worked out a plan…..and went across town by transit in time to see the Olympic Flame near

Vancouver City Hall.  He was very excited by what they had done!

As we approached the escalator, he urged me to catch up to the Flame, so I could see it for myself.  He knew its route,

and recited it to me – by street and avenue, corner and landmark – wanting me to share in it, too. I was ahead of him

on the stairs – he stopped to wait for his Dad.  Dad was smiling, too.

The son was about 55-60 years of age, in my estimation, making Dad 80-something, I would guess.

He wore a toque, and sported a grizzled grey beard, and used a cane.

Dad walked independently, his son staying just a step or two ahead,  and as he used his white cane to gauge his path

it occurred to me that the passing of that Flame in front of them today was not the only Eternal Moment being shared.

Figure this: you dream and you train and you prepare and you compete….it takes over your thoughts, your life and every waking impulse. Your family supports you, your friends cheer you on, your country applauds you, and when that magic time comes…..well, sorry girls….you may have ‘qualified’, but you still can’t compete.

What the heck? That is the somewhat sticky situation facing two of Australia’s dedicated and talented female bobsledders, who today placed their final appeal in Vancouver. We saw them being photgraphed on their way out that door.

They have travelled part way around the world, hopes in hearts, to spend this one last night almost literally outside the gates, as they are not allowed inside the Olympic Village, because they are not ‘eligible’ to compete.

Read the details here, http://ow.ly/15iCg , coutesy of the New York Times, and sing a chorus of Waltzing Matilda to send them sweet dreams.

Good on ya, Ladies! We wish you the best!

Marilyn Anderson, Duet-Media, Vancouver

My journey actually started yesterday. I rode the Olympic Line from Granville Island to Cambie Station (Olympic Village Station on Canada Line). There was a steady stream of people wanting the same experience.

Today I had three destinations, House of Switzerland Canada 2010 located at Bridges Restaurant on Granville Island, LEONARDO DA VINCI: THE MECHANICS OF MAN at the Vancouver Art Gallery and check out some patriotic fashion at the A&N Boutique (Army and Navy) in New Westminster.

I’m considering this my beta trip. I plugged my Nikon into the A/V outlet last night to charge it. That’s how you charge an iTouch, not a camera. Read the directions. No photos on this trip.

The Army and Navy department store is a Vancouver landmark known for their designer shoe sale. They also have killer prices on patriotic fashions. More and more, I see red and white Canada jackets, sweatshirts, sweaters and scarves. Their sale starts on Wednesday the 10th with Canada hoodies and sweats starting at $9.99. Much easier on the wallet than the $40 to $75 in other stores. These are not investment pieces.

I arrived at House of Switzerland to discover it’s a restaurant with the Swiss Flag draped on the roof. There are no exhibits, but there is Swiss music, free chocolate, Swiss water and coffee and a charity auction. I wasn’t the only one who was confused, most folks arriving at the restaurant expected exhibits.

I had lunch at Granville Island. I often do this as it’s practically in my back yard and there is always a celebration. Lunch cost $9.20 for wonton soup. This seems quite high to me, although I couldn’t tell you how much it cost before today. Note to self:  Purchase fruit, a bun and meat from the vendors and “make” your lunch. Healthier too I suspect. Must ask Cari-Lee Stevens next time I see her.

I hopped the Olympic line and then the Canada Line to the Vancouver Art Gallery. The Da Vinci exhibit is not free until the 12th. Read the directions. Again, there was a lot of confusion about when it was free. I paid the $19 to see the exhibit without the crowds. I’m a Da Vinci groupee.

“Though human ingenuity may make various inventions which, by the help of various machines answering the same end, it will never devise any inventions more beautiful, nor more simple, nor more to the purpose than Nature does; because in her inventions nothing is wanting, and nothing is superfluous” Da Vinci

Da Vinci’s anatomical drawings are stunning. The fact that he drew them 500 years ago is almost beyond comprehension. I first saw Da Vinci’s original work in museums in Italy and I felt the same awe today as I did five years ago.

In every room there are large posters of with instructions to other illustrators. Several artists were sitting on the floor attempting to re-create the drawings.

My recommendation is this is a must-see. The exhibit is from Queen Elizabeth’s private collection and hasn’t been displayed publicly before.

My ticket also allowed me admittance to Visceral Bodies, an exhibit of contemporary artists exploring the human form. Interesting, but Da Vinci is a hard act to follow.

Using the existing Downtown Historic Railway, these 100% low-floor modern streetcars will operate on the 1.8-km of upgraded rail infrastructure. The upgrade is the result of an $8.5 million investment by the City of Vancouver with a $500,000 contribution from the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation, the administrator of Granville Island.

Even at 4PM on Sunday, we got on the next train. Everyone’s in a great mood and talkative. Lots of families are out and about and I haven’t seen that many people at the Olympic Village Canada Line station. The trip takes less than 5 minutes, but it’s worth the ride if you’re in the area. The ride is quiet and smooth. Maybe we should consider a streetcar from the Skytrain station on Clark to UBC.

The trip takes less than 5 minutes, but it’s worth the ride if you’re in the area. The ride is quiet and smooth. Maybe we should consider a streetcar from the Skytrain station on Clark to UBC.

Lots of folks out and about. This is the first time I’ve seen the Olympic Village Canada Line Station this busy.

The only sad note was the fellow traveller whose wallet had “gone missing” from his pocket somewhere.  Stay Alert – we knew this could happen.

On the Canada Line, I saw several luggage-laden folks headed to the Airport – avoiding the rush, I suppose.  Photographer Scott is headed to Viet Nam for a month, blogging about his trip along the way; Nikki shares that she is staying here, and sometimes puts her photos on a blog.  Both of them had their cameras out and focused, as did a local News Celeb (could that be Ian Hanomansing – setting up a piece with a CBC cameraman in attendance?).  It was interesting to see them at work.  Note to self: watch tonight’s  CBC evening News!

Our streets are filling…..with cameras and things.  Stay alert, so those things don’t belong to you.

Together, they were a mini-United Nations, gathered from around the globe – two from Eastern Canada, one from Houston, Texas, two from Europe and another from Australia. They were marketing managers, product development supervisors, a truck driver, a product design specialist – an engaging assortment of interesting people, looking forward to their responsibilities over the next three weeks.

It was my pleasure to be the ambassador here, the one on her ‘home turf’ who could say “Welcome” and “Enjoy your stay”.  We are so lucky, I think, to have so many chances to make new acquaintances and share smiles along the way.  In the lottery of life, being born a Canadian has to rank high on the ‘winning ticket’ list.  In this case, it came with a fun experience……and my very first Olympic pin!   The “Red Birds” have landed; who knew that would happen today?

How do I know this for sure?  Well, I have this from the very best of sources.  You see, I talk to Smurfs! That is not my name for them; I am talking about the 25,000 volunteers who are now roaming our streets, riding our buses, taking our trains, and wearing their beautiful Olympic-colored suits, which one of them described to me as “making them look like Smurfs!”.  They are certainly a beautiful shade of not-quite-turquoise-blue, complete with those famous 5 intertwined rings, and they are outstanding as well as standing out in the crowd.

My newest passion in transit is to talk to a Smurf, and – so far, at least – that campaign has been successful.

I have met a banker on leave from his bank in Toronto, a teacher here from Calgary, and – just yesterday – an interesting fellow from the United States who, in his non-Smurf life, runs high-tech companies.  I know a few more of these generous souls personally – realtors, former Olympians, retirees – and they have several things in common.

They love people, they care a great deal, they share a true pride in their countries, and they want to be involved. They also deserve our smiles, our greetings and our grateful support for helping to get this remarkable job done!

Be a sport yourself, I’d say – find a Smurf and greet them today!  Just look for the folks in blue.

Vancouver has easily-accessible and free wi-fi.  Three coffee chains provide free wireless in Vancouver. Blenz and Waves chains  provide hassle-free wireless to customers. Starbucks also provides 2 hours of free wireless but you need to sign up for an account. I found their procedure overly complex and I’ve been successful only twice using the free Starbucks service. I’ve created a Google map to locate Blenz and Waves coffee shops in the lower mainland. Blenz map is here and Waves map is here. Some of the coffee shops have passwords installed, just ask the staff.

Bonnie Sainsbury a Social Media Strategist and Principal in Duet Media. She regularly uses free wireless in Blenz Coffee Shops to communicate to the world on her iPod Touch and Wind netbook.

Check out the map here.