Opening Ceremony - Part 2

Well I hope you enjoyed the Ceremony. It had a unique Commonwealth feel about it. More relaxed and while home nations in particular may be rivals, the warmth of the welcome to all 71 countries from the near 40000 audience was palpable

So highlights:

The crowd, the athletes, the volunteers and performers all shone but it was the standing ovation given to the Queen when she arrived and drove round the stadium that surpassed it. There can few if any heads of state who can command such a response

The other  technical wonder was the video wall. It was used to the maximum, the definition of the pictures truly remarkable with glorious skylines and panoramas

Finally a quick mention of the sterling work done by the Scottie dogs, as they led in each team.  Admittedly a couple had to be carried but there did not seem to be any who marred the stage!

The trip back took 45mins with a fairly long walk to the train station but with a train waiting

It's a bit late to choose some pics but here are a few. More to follow tomorrow with probably some further reflections

 

Australia have the largest team

 

For Nicola!