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I have had the pleasure of meeting and eBaying (selling and buying) with many fine folks from all over our great planet. I have safely mailed Olympic items to many countries including; Andorra, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Canada, China, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Ireland, Japan, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Russia, South Africa, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Ukraine, and the United Kingdom. It always great experience to share and exchange with fellow Olympic enthusiasts worldwide.
We began attending the Olympics in 1984, as event spectators and rookie pin traders. Attending subsequent games only strengthened my pin collecting hobby and trading enthusiasm. The modern Olympic Games occur every 2 years in which the world community visits a host nation to compete in a variety of sports, and experience cultural exchange. he World Party,is an awesome opportunity to visit another country, their culture, and diverse people. The Olympic Games are a time to share the common human goodness and sportsmanship that many people share, and once you have attended one, there a strong likelihood you will be back for others.
Vancouver Preparations
We are eagerly preparing for attendance at the Vancouver World Party in 2010. Tickets have been acquired to 12 events (Hockey, Bobsled, Curling, Skiing, Figure Skating) and 5 evening Victory Ceremonies. We are actively pursuing housing in City Center, preferably walking distance to the Celebration Sites, Live City Vancouver, and Hospitality Suites.
Our Torino Adventure
We attended the World Party in Torino, Italy. We arrived in Rome and began touring the Italian cities of Roma, Pisa, Firenze, Padua, Venezia, and Milano during the first week of our adventure. After our Italian road trip in our very nice Alpha Romeo rental, we arrived in Torino for 10 days of Olympic fun. We were very fortunate to be hosted by a wonderful Italian family in a private residence in Casselette, about 10km outside Torino City Center. 
We attended 12 Olympic events, and visited most of the venue locations from the city center arenas to the beautiful mountains. Transportion services, and limited parking were available at most locations. Once we figured out the train/bus systems, we got around pretty easily. Folks were very helpful when they could, but the language barrier made information transfer difficult at times. We attempted to learn Italian prior to our trip, and that certainly helped. I must emphasize this point about the Italian hospitality, generosity, and willingness to assist us when we asked questions and appeared clueless, from how to purchase a train ticket, how to translate a restaurant menu, to how to use the self-service machines at a gas station.
Pin trading was not as fun in previous Olympics, especially during first week. Torino pins seemed to be in limited supply, and many folks were not interested in trading as in previous Olympics. We did trade 5-10 pins a day. After the first week, local folks opened up, but wanted to buy pins rather than trade. The event security staff began to ask for freebies at almost every event, which was granted in most cases. Overall it was more work and generally less fun, and seemed like itsa culture thing. We really enjoyed the food. Wow! What awesome food and wine in Italy. Once you got used to eating late after 8PM, you had a great variety. We tried several dishes and restaurants. Our favorite restaurant was in Torino City Center, called Gio's, where we ate as much as possible. Our host family prepared wonderful traditional breakfasts each morning, and meals for us when we were not out and about.
A few observations on the lighter side.
- It cost money to use all public the bathrooms.
- Coffee is served in tiny portions up to 4 ounces, and no more. I missed my Starbucks!
- Cars are generally tiny, but Italians are excellent drivers.
- Fashion is important, most locals wear stylish attire and mink coats.
- You must try Nutella if you haven't.
I enjoy collecting
( 1438
) Ebay Member Since=Sunday, Mar 05, 2000 Thank you for looking...and now a word from Our sponsor...
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