London's Athlete Village

This morning Eric and I took our time to get going.  It was nice to relax and sleep in a bit.  Around 11:00am we got on the tube and headed towards the Athlete Village.  To be able to go into the Athlete Village, I have to get special clearance and Eric has to be with me the whole time.  I was anxious to see where he had spent his time while here in London.

We got off the tube at the big mall and since Eric hadn't been shopping there before, we decided to explore that together.  We had a good time shopping and browsing and eating a yummy pretzel together.  We also got tickets to see The Bourne Legacy for later that night at a movie theater there in the mall.

After the mall, we walked over to the Athlete Village.  He showed me all the shops, the communication center, the game room (full of Wiis, an air hockey table, big screen TVs, a giant Connect Four game, as well as a chess board where the board was on the ground and you had to pick up and walk your piece to move it on the board.)

Then Eric showed me his apartment and all the fun things in his building like the laundry service, the athlete floor (phones, computers, soda machines, snacks, TVs, games) and the all important ice machine, which for those who have been to London know they don't use ice here.

While we were there I went to the athlete floor and called Logan and Natalie.  It was sooo great to talk to them and hear all about the fun things they've been doing.  The day before they had gone to the Jelly Belly factory, which they loved.  They've been so good, for which I'm very thankful.  Thanks again to my wonderful sister for taking such great care of them!

Before we left the village and headed back to the mall for the movie, Eric took me to the dining hall.  Imagine the biggest food court in a mall and that might touch the surface.  There is any type of food, from many different countries and for Eric, there's a McDonalds, although he's told me he hasn't eaten there nearly as much as he did at the Paralympics in China.  

It was really nice to be able to spend the whole day with Eric.  We had a great time and really enjoyed the movie together.  I especially enjoyed having someone to ride the tube with me at night, since we didn't get to the hotel until almost 12:30am.  Eric gets to spend the next few days with me since we'll be leaving for tours early every morning.  Can't wait for the days ahead!