So I had the TV on that Friday evening, February 6, to see the opening ceremony unfold.
The one aspect that stood out to me was the melodious nature of the artistic portions that sought to highlight the music and art of Italy, particularly with the various dance numbers. It was intriguing to see the paint tubes pour out colors in tribute to Italy's art scene. The one part of the ceremony that was odd to me was the sign language performance. It was epic to hear Andrea Bocelli sing "Nessun Dorma" toward the end of the Opening Ceremony, which reminded me of when Luciano Pavarotti sang the same piece toward the end of the 2006 Winter Olympics Opening Ceremony in Torino. The following day, as Abuela and I talked about the ceremony, we looked at the English translation of the words in "Nessun Dorma", which helped me appreciate it further as a grand piece. The ceremony flowed well, even with components in two different locations. I wasn't too familiar with either city, so it was nice to see the cities' offerings on display
The closing ceremony also displayed the music scene of Italy splendidly with an elegant historic touch in the Verona Arena amphitheater. I liked the elegant outfits of those seeking to represent the opera. I thought the ceremony ended anticlimactically with the video of the person closing the door. Something more epic would have suited me.
Each time the Winter Olympics happen, I'm most interested in the curling, which is mostly on services I'm unable to access. As it happened, I stopped by the South Oak Park Fire Station to drop off extra food from a church function, and I saw through the garage door that they were watching Olympics curling while waiting for their next call. The following day, the final day of the Olympics, I woke up shortly after 6 AM to catch a few minutes of a curling match.
I happened to turn on the TV when Alyssa Liu did her gold meal skating performance, which was spectacular. On the final day of the Olympics, before going to Mass, I watched snippets of the USA vs. Canada hockey game. I looked away from the TV at the moment of the goal that earned the USA the gold medal in overtime, though I could tell throughout the game that the action was so fast-paced. And it was an epic moment in the final day of the games for the USA men's hockey team to win the gold medal, just as the women's hockey team did.
It was a grand time when the world came together in northern Italy, and I look forward to the next Olympic event in the USA.
