Commonwealth Games 2010, Delhi - Not so bad after all!

The first Commonwealth Games in Hamilton 1930 included only 6 sports. They were Athletics, Aquatics (Swimming & Diving) Boxing, Lawn Bowls, Rowing, and Wrestling. The emergence of world bodies to regulate various sports has helped these sports to be more scientific and sophisticated by making strict rules and regulations. As a result, more and more sports are being included within the framework of Commonwealth Games, which has reached up 17 events to be held during 2010 Commonwealth Games.

Entertainment at the flag raising ceremonies

According to the rules of the Commonwealth Games Federation, there are three types of sports namely Core, Optional and Recognized. The hosting city of Commonwealth Games must include a minimum of 10 core sports on their Programme. They can then include up to an additional Seven from a list of optional sports, with a maximum of four team sports on their Programme.  Recognised sports are those sports, which require further growth within the Commonwealth before they can be classed as Optional.

Off to swim practice and Gymnastics in front of the Canadian Residences

As far as the 2010 Commonwealth Games are concerned 17 sports have been planned for it. They are Aquatics, Archery, Athletics, Badminton, Boxing, Cycling, Gymnastics, Hockey, Lawn Bowls, Netball, Rugby 7s, Shooting, Squash, Table Tennis, Tennis Weightlifting and Wrestling. Canada chose not to send athletes to compete in Netball and tennis.

These 17 sports are to be played in eleven major stadiums located across the city of Delhi. 

Some of the Canadian support staff - Medical, Athletics, Transportation

(Reference - various Commonwealth Games sites)

 

Spoke to Dan and he had so many positive things to say about the village!  A little bit is unfinished but overall everyone is happy and certainly it isn't unliveable.  There are very nice features – Dining hall is amazing – different stations – African – Asian – Western (salad options – pasta and pizza ) and everyone is raving about the food!

Canoose the Goose - Canada's Mascot
Shera - the mascot for the Delhi Games

The village is like a sub division with a series of 7 or 8 story apartment buildings. There are training facilities in the village but the competition takes place at different venues around the city as mentioned previously.   Smaller refreshment areas around the village featuring cold drinks etc.  and there is even a casual dining option around a pool.

Bracelets are given to the Flagbearers 
Opening ceremonies - Ken Pereira (Captain of Field Hockey)
Closing ceremonies in Melbourne - Alexandra Orlando (rhythmic gymnastics)

It really isn't bad at all!  He is starting to get very busy....

Until next time

Penny

The Media Centre at the Commonwealth Games and more....

It was off to the Commonwealth Games media centre  in a TUK TUK.  It seems to be the most popular way to get around. You have to find one from about the 2 million.  I need to make a correction here.  Evne though they are most commonly known as TUK TUKS, the Indian people would like them referred to as Rickshaws...





After all the negative attention the Games have received, Dan was quite  impressed with the media centre...a state of the art facility.  He was admiring the place when a flock of pigeons swooped around him.  He suggested calling in the shooting team....just kidding....

The Equipment:

Dan takes two Nikon D3 camera  bodies, an 18-70 zoom lens, an 80-200 zoom lens,  300 mm and 400mm telephoto lenses, two MacBook Pros, one monopod and a bunch of other heavy stuff.  He wears shorts with a gazillion pockets to carry a lot of it.  And let’s not forget, a lot of granola bars! 




Signs indicating the dedicated travel lanes (they drive on the left here)



A group of Indian youngsters set to participate in the South African Flag Raising Ceremony. It's a tradition that every participating country have a ceremony when they arrive in the village -

Canada's is on Friday afternoon



This is the market near Connaught Place and my hotel. It's wild there. I'm about 6" taller than most people here so that makes me apparently interested in buying most everything - pipes, wallets, fake Ray Bans, belts, sandals, you name it. Actually a little intimidating."

The vibrant colours of India

Dan said he didn't have much to shoot today and is getting antsy. They have a press conference tomorrow to introduce the flag bearer and to make some Canadian athletes available to the media.

Until the next time...

Penny



Dan's Arrival in India

Dan arrived and was welcomed in a traditional Indian way - A garland was placed around his neck and a Vermilion dot was put on his forehead.  On arrival in Delhi, Commonwealth Team Members are escorted through special lines and welcomed in a lounge. 

Dan was picked up by a driver and escorted by a guard(s) to the hotel where a lot of the media are staying.  He said security was very tight and everything was  checked before anyone was allowed to enter the hotel.  Even cars were screened.

This is the airport in Delhi.   They are 9.5 hours ahead of Toronto time.  I spoke to him on gmail chat and then he was off to bed - it was 1:00 in the morning there.

Namaste!
Penny

Dan - At the Commonwealth Games in India

My husband, Dan, leaves Monday to photograph the Commonwealth Games in India. He is the official photographer for the Canada Team and will also be submitting photos daily  to the Canadian Press. I am going to follow Dan’s experiences while he is there – his experiences – the excitement, the energy of the athletes, the truth.

I know he will be busy running around to the different events, organizing and submitting his photos, but we will keep in contact as much as we can. I wish I was going with him...yummmm Indian Food, colourful culture...so exciting! There has been a lot of negative media surrounding the arrival of the athletes and the conditions, but Dan is really looking forward to the experience and taking pictures that will reflect the talent and dedication of our Canadian Athletes and hopefully a glimpse of life in Delhi.   He is not delayed as of yet!


His bags are packed and he is ready to go....

Day 16 - A date with David and our last night in Florence

Saturday, July 18, 2009

We set off for Florence at 7:00 am and stopped for pictures at Piazzelli Michelangelo, worth a stop for a view of Florence from across the river, then hoped that, by some chance, we could get into our room at the Holiday Inn on via Europa.  When we arrived at the hotel they had a room ready for us! We checked in and took the bus down to the Duomo.

The plan was to stay the last night in Florence so it would be easy to get to the airport the next day and we could have a nice dinner in Florence on our last night.

The Academia, where David resides,  has two entrances – one with reservations and one without. When taking an escorted tour (like Trafalgar or Insight), group passengers have priority and  get quick entrance, a good reason to take escorted tours. Since we  had made a reservation, we went in quite quickly as well, but I must tell you there was a very long line up for those who didn't. After going through security and renting the guided tour tapes, we proceeded into the gallery. We admired the paintings and  then visited  the Robert Mapplethorpe exhibition, which was very interesting.

After exiting that exhibit, we entered the hallway leading to David.  I’m not sure I can describe the feeling I had when we spotted David – under the skylight – standing so tall and really so incredibly stunning. I actually felt quite emotional.  Learning about  Michelangelo creating him and the years it took, are all very fascinating, but it was so much more.  When you are standing in a place looking at something  that you have seen in  pictures  and have heard so much about - and you are actually really there - standing in front of it - whether it be a place or a building or whatever....it suddenly becomes magical. Walking around David and seeing him from behind, a view you rarely see in pictures  – gave a whole different perspective. You can actually see the stone in his hand and the sling that he used when slaying Goliath. Guided groups came and left while we were there – but there were a couple of chairs so  we sat and soaked it all in, after all, we had the luxury of time...

We toured the rest of the gallery then headed to the streets for a Gelato.

We said goodbye to Florence and took the bus back to the hotel. By the way, you have to buy bus tickets at a tobacco store. We bought one ticket which gave us 4 bus rides – two for me and two for Dan.  When you get on the bus there is a machine to validate the ticket - an honour system.

On the way home, an auditor came on the bus and checked everyone’s tickets!

We refreshed ourselves then set out by foot to have dinner - our last night out in Italy.

It was a romantic candlelit dinner. There was a concert nearby and we laughed because the sounds of Jan Arden filled the air.  We talked about the trip ...yes it was the last night but ...it  wasn’t really over......

What did this trip mean to us?  For about  48 weeks a year we work hard and follow the direction of what other people want from our lives.  This was our opportunity to recharge  and do whatever we wanted to do.    We stopped to smell the flowers - so many of them - because we could.  The nature and design of the trip was the highlight - we could sleep in or not - mostly not...  Sometimes we were up before the sun in order to catch the sunrise.  We also gave each other a chance to do our own thing - me with my cooking classes and Dan taking time to photograph whatever he desired.  The older we get, the more the reality  exists that we may never get to these places again and whatever experience we have, may need to last a lifetime.  So for the short time we were visitors in this beautiful country, we like to think that we were also participants - getting our chickens from the local farmer, having a morning coffee in the  village cafe with the locals and buying our bread from the baker - following the natural rhythm of the place.  And while doing this, we also met like-minded people from other countries and all walks of life. 

There is a very special feeling when you  share a place with someone you care about - It's about sitting on the side of a country road watching Dan wander through the sunflower fields working so hard to capture that feeling in images...and knowing that he got pleasure greeting me after my pasta lesson waving my graduation certificate and showing my handmade penne.

We saw so many interesting and stunning places...we are so fortunate. 

Thank you Dan,  for an incredible unforgettable experience...I love you...

What is next?  ...stay tuned for our trip to Greece....

Until we travel again...

Penny

Day 15 - My Pasta lesson with Wilma in La Tavernelle...

Friday, July 17, 2009

Pasta Fresca is the name of Wilma’s shop in Tavernelle di Pesa, a small town in the province of Florence, between Florence and Siena, in the heart of Tuscany.  She has been selling pasta here for approximately 16 years.
She has many different kinds of hand-made pasta: gnocchi, stuffed ravioli, tagliatelle, spaghetti, pici, cannelloni and so much more.

I arrived at 10:30 for my lesson and Wilma and Caterina (she helps Vilma and spoke English very well) both welcomed me – sent me to the sink to wash my hands, and handed me an apron. It was a very happy little shop with many customers stopping by to pick up their pasta which came in all shapes and sizes –the pasta not the customers!

Waiting for me were 4 eggs sitting in a mound of flour. 

We began by making a well in the center of the mound and cracking the eggs in the middle of it. We then started mixing the flour in with the eggs (slowly bringing more flour into the center) until we had a good pasta dough. We ran the pieces through a simple pasta machine and then cut by hand the  various shapes of pasta.

We had a couple of fillings to make stuffed ravioli and because I wanted to learn to make penne, Wilma cut some pasta in little squares and we rolled the pasta around a tinly little stick...hand rolled penne!  We even made spaghetti  alla chitarra.   A traditional instrument for cutting fresh pasta sheets, the chitarra (KEY-tarra) has ancient origins in the Abruzzo region of Italy. Master handcrafters from Pretoro hand-string two sets of zinc-coated steel wires on the varnished ashwood box. One side yields evenly cut fettuccine, and the opposite side, delicate angel hair. And the faithful mate to the chitarra is the rolling pin that helps flatten the dough and then press and cut it through the wires. We had a lot of fun!
Wilma said everything tastes better when it is made with love.  She said it in Italian and it sounded even better.
Dan showed up just in time for my graduation ceremony. He took a picture of me getting my diploma and Wilma presented me with my pasta beautifully wrapped to take home to La Foresta.

The whole experience was about 1.5 hours and was definitely worth the 30 Euros. There is one night a week during the summer when the streets are closed off and the restaurants serve dinner outside.  Wilma offers a dinner for 15 Euros.

I was very excited to try out my new pasta making skills at home. I guess I was maybe too excited, because after travelling almost all the way  back to La Foresta, I realized I had left my camera in La Tavernelle and we had to drive back there....ooops. sorry Dan....

We grabbed a sandwich on the way home, relaxed a little then set off along the back roads to San G. While I was at the pasta class, Dan had driven over there to find the perfect place to photograph the city at dusk. He had set the coordinates on “Higgins” which made it easy to identify the spot when we went back.
Unfortunately the wind was blowing pretty hard up there and  a storm was heading our way. He did get a few shots when the sun peeked through.

When we arrived back at La Foresta, everyone was gathered  around a big table in the courtyard and Lucia served her wine, panzanella, olive oil and tiramisu.

Most of the guests were leaving the next morning so we all said our good-byes and  toasted  to a great vacation in Italy...but we actually have one more night in Florence before we leave on Sunday and a date with David at the Galleria Academia at 11:45 tomorrow morning. I know he will be waiting for me (naked) in the hall...ok not just me – millions of people.  I better go to sleep now....


Buona notte...

Day 14 - San Gimignano and Volterra

Thursday, July 16, 2009

It was a lazy morning...coffee in Castellina di Chianti, checked emails quickly and drove to San Gimignano.

It was market day in San G. and the place was just invaded with people. We arrived at noon and the furthest parking lots had long long  line ups. We headed back down to the lot closest to the city gates and were very lucky. The people who had obviously arrived early in the morning were now leaving and spots became available.

The entire city looked different with hordes of people and markets stalls blanketing the entire square. The market was not very interesting – no local crafts people or artists – mainly clothes and tablecloths....

We did Rick Steve’s walking tour then went to over to the guys selling BBQ chickens to get one for dinner. He told me the chickens would be ready in 15 minutes and I needed a reservation, so I made a reservation.

We walked around and took some pictures then headed back for our chicken. It was chaos! I couldn’t get near the front and everyone was screaming in Italian at the guys that they wanted chickens. One woman just in front of me was demanding a chicken and he said she needed a reservation....I held my hand up and told him I had a reservation! He asked my name, handed me the chicken and the woman beside me was not happy! Too bad....I ran off I went with my chicken! YAYYYY!!!

We headed off for our picnic in Volterra then again took Rick Steve’s walking tour. You can also download some of his tours on your ipod, so you can follow the tour and listen to him along the way. We chose to do it the old fashioned way and read from the guide.

The shops here are filled with Alabaster pieces – from lamps to sculptures. The streets of Volterra are very steep and after walking down to the oldest gate in the city, I was seriously concerned about walking all the way back up...it was hot...but we did and it was fine.

Volterra has a very interesting history and there are fascinating stories about how the locals protected this oldest gate during the Nazi occupation. You can find these stories in the guide books. Volterra also has a very good Etruscan museum.

History is everywhere in these villages and you can choose to visit museums and galleries or simply sit in a square for the afternoon and admire the old buildings and towers – to each his own – there are no rules. We headed back to la Foresta where we had a swim, read a little and ate dinner.  Oh yes...tomorrow is our last day at La Foresta and Lucia is going to make bruschetta and Panzanella and serve her homemade wine from her vineyards. 

We toasted to tomorrow- my pasta lesson with Wilma of “Pasta Fresca” in La Tavernelle, and a very early morning (to catch the early morning light) in Monterrigioni.
Arrivederci!