Retirement Talk
WHAT to do with the rest of your life? |
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Episode 170
Vancouver
Winter Olympics 2010
The city sparkles. Colorful banners wave along the
streets.
Mountains dominate the horizon on one side and salt water on the other.
Cars
have been banned from many streets and people flow over sidewalk and
streets
from building edge to building edge. They play hockey in the street.
People
stand in groups and chat in the street. Warm weather and bright
sunshine have
dominated the games. They bring difficulty to the skiing but pure
pleasure to
the spectators who want to enjoy themselves.
We purchased our condo in
Vancouver
the very summer that
Canada
was awarded the bid for these games. It was like a retirement get away,
only
instead of in the woods this was in the heart of a city.
Little did we think seven years ahead
that we would be
living right on a street that was blocked to automobile traffic and
filled with
pedestrians during the games. The bands playing, the screams from
enthusiastic
fans and the general atmosphere was exciting - at the beginning. But
the intensity
of the activity slowly became a bit tiring. We longed for a little
quiet and
solitude. Eight days of activities have left us exhausted. We jumped on
5 a.m.
train and returned to our home on
Bellingham
Bay
.
After a few days of
quiet time we will return for the final four days of the games. That's
the
plan.
If there is one complain that I heard over and over it was
the cost of tickets to the events. "Who can afford that", was a
common refrain. Attending the events was expensive by the average wage
earner's
standards. Tickets were sold via the Internet or at a few limited
locations.
The brick and mortar locations always drew long lines of anxious buyers
not opposed
to spending hours waiting in line.
The Internet was the place I went to
inquiry about tickets.
It wasn't easy. I tried several times and was always thwarted by the
system. I
just could not reach an event and location in time to score a ticket.
Frustration shadowed my every effort. I was always a bit hesitant to
commit to the
price of admission but was never really able to actually have a choice.
Tickets
were gone. My timing was poor.
A little aside
here
about the expensive tickets: the expense of putting on the games is
high.
Canada
spent
over 8 billion dollars on the deal. That's a lot. They have to try to
recoup
part of the expense through ticket sales. I don't think cities ever
make money
doing this sort of thing. And it isn't like they charge so much for
tickets
that they go unsold. The scalpers are having a hay day. One article I
read said
the highest prices paid for after market sales was fifty thousand
dollars for
two seats for the hockey finals.
Fortunately there are many free
activities that one can
attend at an Olympic celebration. There are 600 cultural and arts
events scheduled
over a 60 day period that included both the Olympic Games and the
Para-Olympic
Games. There are dances, plays, concerts, art displays and all sorts of
other
types of events scheduled. Some cost, but many are free. Most do
require
standing in line to obtain a ticket.
There has been thought and effort given
to making sure the
tax payers can indeed enjoy the games for free. The party is in the
streets. People
are constantly moving. Sidewalk restaurants and coffee shops are
plentiful.
Beer gardens or pavilions are plentiful. Buskers are plentiful. Various
music
fades in and out as one moves along. Then there are the circles that
constantly
form and then dissolve around a street performance of magic, juggling,
skipping
rope, riding a unicycle and performing various tricks. The chatter from
the
buskers ebb and flow. Fireworks and
light shows light up the sky. This part of the Olympics is free. It is
a
wonderful example of government trying to make sure everyone regardless
of
social/economic level can participate in the party.
It is a young persons party. Some times
we see people our
age but not often. The young people can stand the day long. Walking,
standing,
yelling, laughing and carrying on seems to be standard practice. This
is a
little more difficult for the retired community. Older people are at
the games,
but they don't seem to spend a lot of time in the streets. Perhaps they
are the
only ones who can afford the price of seats at the actual sporting
events.
Those and people who are relatives of the participants who either get
free
seats or go into debt to afford the
price of a trip, lodging and ticket.
It is an exciting place to be but is
exhausting. That's the
way it is when one travels and wants to get in as much as possible in
an exotic
location. I told my son this and attributed our exhaustion to old age.
He
reminded me that it is the same when one is younger. We just tend to
forget.
Traveling is demanding no matter the age.
This is Retirement Talk.
A resource from a listener: Best Free Online Degrees for Seniors guide is designed to assist seniors who aspire to enhance their intellect or consider starting a new career path. It features an overview of the top online degrees for seniors, emphasizing their numerous advantages, and a broad range of subjects to choose from.
A friend's website: Terra Firma Designs: Fine Furniture, Stained Glass and woodworking workshops.
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