Vancouver Games

The Vancouver Games are a phenomenal enterprise that is worthy of sharing with your family. What's not to love about a global celebration of sport that is peaceful and inspires our kids to be active and committed. Whether you are a fan of the Olympics or looking for an outstanding family destination, here are some fun facts on both.

Olympic Trivia:
The first Winter Olympic Games were held in1924 in Chamonix, France.
Norway has won 280 medals--more than any other country in the winter games.
Fifteen Sports will be contested in the games with 86 medal events
85 countries are set to compete this year.
NBC is covering the games. For a list of results and schedules go here. 



Vancouver Facts and Figures:
Vancouver is located in Canada's British Columbia and is situated on the Pacific Ocean with Mountains skirting the city.
Population sits at 2.3 million, but the city is well planned and never feels crowded. Public parks and bike paths abound and this is an easy city to navigate without having to rent a car.
But don't just stay in the city--there are 972 parks in the province of B.C.

Families won't want to miss an excursion to Stanley Park the cities sprawling greenspace.
Bring your rain gear.  Everything is green for a reason.

Highlights from Vancouver:
Catching the final hours of the 160-day Olympic Torch Relay.  Over this period about 12,000 people had the chance to carry the Olympic Torch from Ancient Olympia to Vancouver, BC. All in, the 28,000-mile journey hit almost every corner of this country--including an igloo-shaped church in the very distant and sparsely populated north.

Witnessing the glorious Opening Ceremony at BC Place. Supposedly the Canadian team worked with a 20 million dollar budget (a meager sum compared to what Japan spent a few years ago), so the Canadians focused on star power, creativity and ENERGY.  We were all shrouded in white capes to meet the vision of Artistic Director David Atkins and given lights to shine from the stands.

Spending a few moments in quiet reflection by the Olympic Flame before heading home from my trip. I thought of the Georgian athlete that died, and all the competitors that devote so much of their lives in the pursuit of glory.