The Dioxide (Alex)

Yesterday, we went to the Camden Locks and ‘The O2’ (where Artistic Gymnastics, Trampoline, Basketball, and Wheelchair Basketball were held). Some fun facts I learned after googling about The O2 is that it used to be called the Millenium Dome, but in 2005 the O2 company bought the rights to put the name O2 on the building for £5,000,000 a year. 

First, we went to the Camden Market (Camden Locks).  Dad says this is the best food court in the world.  This is where Anna had her first crepe on our first trip…. She wanted another but we were out of time.  I don’t remember it being as crowded (or it could be that yesterday was a Saturday) but we got some really good food. Large, but good. We saw a boat go through the locks. 

Then we got off the train at the North Greenwich (where the O2 is). There were two last-minute openings for “Up At The O2” [where you strap on safety gear and hike up and over the fabric dome over the arena] so Rachel and I went up. It started at a 30° angle, and then smoothed out to a viewing platform. At the platform, we got some really good pictures. Such as:

The view from the top of the O2 looking at the direction we came up.

Same deal on the other side. The view was really cool, though. We went back down the other side and made it safely.

Me at the bottom of the O2

There was a really cool inside to the building, including a model SKY NEWS broadcast studio, Five Guys, and many other restaraunts. We skipped alot of the others, however we did enter the Sky News replica of a broadcast room. We got to try out green screens…

Alex’s greenscreened picture

…got to sit on a replica of the throne from HBO’s Game of Thrones (which you can find on Sky Atlantic)…

(left to right) Rachel, Alex, and Anna at a replica of the throne from Game of Thrones (SKY ATLANTIC and HBO)

…and got to hear about how great Sky Television is (granted, we knew when we entered that there was going to be marketing).

After that, we went on the ‘Emirates Air Line.’ This is a cable car sponsored by Emirates Air Lines made for the Olympics that connected the O2 with the Docklands of London, over the Thames. We got some good views:

-of another cable car

A view of a car on the Emirates Air Line

-of The O2:

View of the O2 from the Emirates Air Line

Lastly, we saw Mamma Mia, which had a confusing plot line, but the songs were good. My personal favorite part (I think some others in the apartment I am in right now agree) was the part where (for whatever reason) the actors started dancing in flippers. It was very silly. 

Hopefully Anna and Rachel will post their pictures of the greenscreen (both of them with a monkey). This is what we did today.

Note: Happy Birthday, Ben