They don't really travel that far...

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ORIGINAL POST: 5 Apr 2008
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Last Sunday began far earlier than I ever am used to...


The timestamp on the file said 5:50am... but then again, it was the day of Greece's daylight saving's time. So... I'm not really sure what time it really was.

I just know that it was excessively early.

Why?

Because we had the amazing idea to go to a Greek Orthodox church service...

Well, it wasn't MY idea...

But the day got better eventually. But by the time I took this photo...

...over at the REAL Olympic stadium - the site of the first "new" Olympics in the late 1800's - I had already been awake almost 8 hours at it was barely past noon.

This was the site where the Olympic flame leaves Greek possession and is passed off to the host country every two years... it just so happens I'm in Greece at the right time. So... I loaded up all the gear and headed off.

If you've been keeping up with issues facing the international communities these days, you'll know Tibet is sort of in an uproar and people are doubting China's worthiness of the Olympics because they believe they are not upholding the "spirit of the games."

Look on any major news network and you'll see. Its everywhere...

I think you could call this "elevated security"...

They're cracking down on "journalist credentials" because China insists - they're kind of censoring the Tibet protests - so me not having all the required paperwork had to stay on the "unofficial" side. Still wasn't that bad. I didn't have the 400/2.8's that many of the pro's did anyway.

Why would you even need this? My meager 200/2.8 did just fine... at f/8. I think they just didn't know how close they would be... and that it was broad daylight!

I just connected with the people with my short zooms.

He gave a little nod after that shot...

Yeah, homie...

...what can I say? I wanna be JUST like him when I grow up.

So, I've never seen so many HD cameras in this position.

Oh, and the president of Greece, Karolos Papoulias.

He's a happy little old man...

So, the rest of the ceremonies were fairly... um... ceremonial...

Lots of pomp and circumstance...

And whatever this was...

...interpretive dance anyone?

So, the moment of truth came...

And the speech by the Olympic Committee Chairman from China translated into 3 languages.

The flame is then passed to the host country.

Ever wondered how they get the flame across oceans? They light a candle, put it in a box, and put it on a plane.

There was a little scuffle outside the gates with police during the interpretive dance thing, but it only lasted a few seconds and a flag was burned. That's all. Remember the police were out in force and pretty much smothered any demonstrations.

Including this dude, who made it into the stadium somehow... The plainclothes cops responded rather quickly... and kinda swarmed...

With the sheer number of cops and guards and security and plainclothes officers there, it was kind of a futile effort to do anything like a sign or a banner... especially by yourself... after the party ended.

Anyways, it was a good day. There are about 600 other photos from the day, but nothing else excessively notable. I mean, maybe usable, but not blog material.

It is good to see things like this through a lens. Olympics are kinda big. I've heard a number like 15,000 journalists, photographers, and broadcast personnel descend on the Olympics these days. Maybe I'll be on the line someday... many of the big names in photography have at least made a few appearances at the Games over the years.

Maybe I'll be able to put my shutter in the mix, too.

27 days left abroad, my friends. I leave for a little backpack of Europe soon... stay tuned to see that!

~Noah D