LONDON 2012 OLYMPICS: How to get around London

 

How to get around London

Whether you are new to London or you live in London but never venture far these tips are for you. There are a few good ways to travel. You can travel by cab. You will see black cabs parked at designated points in the city or you can stop them on the main roads. Black cabs will not stop if there are double red lines or zig zag lines on the road. So, you will need to look for a part of the road without these lines.You can also get around by train, by tube, by bus, by cycle, cable car, light railway or by walking. If you are driving, there are new Olympic lanes for use by event officials and people with passes. If you drive on the Olympic lanes without a pass, you will be fined £130.

 The Olympic Park is in Stratford in the east end of London. The nearest train, tube and bus station is Stratford. Trains from most parts of England also stop here. 

To get to Stratford, the fastest and cheapest way is to travel via the underground. Be warned, the tube can get very crowded and warm.Before you start your journey check the tube map, the train map or the road map to make sure that you are on the right track. There are many different trains and underground lines. If you are coming from the west, look for the Jubilee line and take it straight to Startford. If you are coming from the east take the District line and change at West Ham.

Stratford Bus Stop and Train Station from the steps of Westfield

Map of the Olympic Park

All the London events

The London underground map

London 2012 Olympic opening ceremony - What to expect tonight

 

Here is a clip of what to expect tonight

The London 2012 Olympic Torch at Hampton Court a few hurs ago 

 Exclusive: Zip wire stunt

The opening ceremony of the London Olympics is just minutes away after seven years of preparations. People are already streaming into the park.

The torch relay passed by some of London's most famous landmarks as it made its way down the Thames on the last leg of its 70-day journey an d Hampton Court in Surrey was one of them. 

The Olympic flame then made its way down the Thames. From there it stopped at City Hall on the Queen's rowbarge Gloriana on the final day of the torch relay. In a few hours it will arrive at the Olympic Stadium in Stratford for the main ceremony where the flame's 70-day nationwide journey ends with the lighting of the cauldron during this evening's opening ceremony

The three-hour spectacle in the Olympic Stadium will be viewed by a global TV audience of around a billion people.

The celebration began at 08:12 BST with a mass bell ringing. Big Ben rang for three minutes for the first time since King George VI's funeral.
Around 50 boats took part in the flotilla, each reflecting London's waterborne heritage.

Europe's largest bell will ring inside the Olympic stadium at 21:00 BST at the start of the extravaganza, said to be a quirky take on British life.

Some 15,000 square metres of staging and 12,956 props will be used, and the event will boast a million-watt PA system using more than 500 speakers.

The crowd of about 80,000 will include the Queen and a host of dignitaries and celebrities.

The Queen and Prince Philip will host a Buckingham Palace reception for heads of state and government and an opening ceremony celebration concert featuring Snow Patrol, Stereophonics, Duran Duran and Paolo Nutini will be held in Hyde Park.

More than 10,000 athletes from 204 nations will take part in the London Olympics, which has taken £9bn of public money to stage. Coverage of the opening ceremony starts on BBC One at 19:00 BST and Radio Five Live from 18:00 BST.

Watch the Olympic Torch Story Here - Featuring Mohammed Ali.

IN PICTURES: The Olympic Torch as it travels through South London

Over the past few days, I have been travelling around the city to capture the Olympic atmosphere. I was in Croydon on Monday and I must say that the atmoshere on the high street was electrifying. There were thousands of people of every race and age who had come out to line up the streets. The town centre really had a carnival atmosphere to it. Think Nottinghill Gate. 

Here are all the exciting pictures from a street in South London as the Olympic torch was carried through London. Happy crowds came out in their hundreds to cheer the bearer on waving flags, dancing to music from floats and many more had their phones and cameras ready to record the once in a lifetime event.

Here is wishing you all a happy and peaceful games in London. Take time to enjoy and visit some of the parks. Don't let the Olympics leave the country without you having experienced something new, something memorable. If you live abroad, be part of it too and keep following this blog for more beautiful stories, pictures, when and where to watch the games for free.

The London 2012 Olympics kicks off - WATCH IT LIVE HERE

The greatest sportsmen and women from around the world are in the UK, competing in events ranging from archery to wrestling, badminton to volleyball. The Olympics has officially opened with the Women’s football game between Great Briatin and New Zealand at Cardiff's magnificent Millennium Stadium. 

The Olympic spirit is bubbling all over the Welsh capital according to reports with the streets adorned with colourful banners and flags as the game took off.

 You can watch the London 2012 Olympic games on your Android LIVE HERE. You can also watch the games on your TV LIVE HERE. 

The games opening ceremony is on Friday 27 July 2012 London's Olympic Stadium in Stratford.

Danny Boyle, the Slumdog Millionaire film director who will be opening the event got 60,000 sports fans, dancers and performers present at the rehearsal to keep mum over opening ceremony's £27 million display.Let's keep our fingers crossed.

For more information about the Olympics , Visit Olympics 2012.

The Olympic Stadium in London

Great Britain vs New Zealand

 

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Africa Fashion Week London 2012

The designers showcasing are: