Recently I went to see the Olympic village in east London so I was a tourist in my own country. There are some photos below of the day starting with the velodrome...where else? And not to lose out on the cycle theme, I just had to have a go at cycling.

Considering what a complete dump the area had been thirty years ago, polluted, run down, derelict, dilapidated and I had been here through the area on business several times, this was a complete transformation between then and now after the the Olympic upgrade. It is now an up and coming area and flats in tall modern iconic buildings are sought after and sell for hundreds of thousands.

Next stop after the velodrome was the ArcelorMittal Orbit, a tower of metal stretching 120 metres skyward giving great views across the London metropolis. It is an unusual structure with the viewing platform sticking out to one side and not a place to visit for those of a nervous disposition. It was expensive but you do get gret views across the capital on a good day and the ticket is valid for a year for repeat visit.

There are plenty of tall structures that architects must have been pleased to put their names to but one particular building caught my eye as if the builders had cut a couple of corners and in fact had omitted to build the sixth floor of this twelve floor building.

Then it was on to the Emirates Airline, basically a trip on a cable car across the Thames to link the Olympic village to Greenwich with its Olympic sites for various sports and the Millenium Dome, now know as the O2 Arena. A very expensive trip (unless you pre book) for a ten minute ride in a cable car and you would get better value from a ski pass valid for a week in the Alps.

Last stop was a visit to the Museum of Childhood. A museum of toys and childhood pastimes...do you recognise these two dudes? and who would own up to owning one of these bikes?