2006 Winter Olympics Torino, Italy (2/18/2006)

The 2006 Winter Olympics in Torino, Italy. Awesome is probably the easiest and most accurate way to describe it. So what did we do, other than take great action pictures of bobsleds from maybe 10 feet away? We visited Canada House, turned away from a soldout curling competition (who would've thought that, huh?), rode on buses through the Alps, saw the ski jump competition, and finally made our way up a gondola to see the two-man bobsled races. For a quick day trip (7 am to 1 am total), we managed to see quite a bit.

Kim, Matt's friend from UCSD infront of the Torino 2006 sign on the bobsled track

Matt infront of the Torino 2006 sign on the bobsled track.

Me in the Gondola as we rode up to the bobsled event.

Dave showing off as we waited for the first run.

Dave infront of Canada House within the center of Torino. Apparently Vancouver, Canada is sponsoring the Olympics in 2010, so they get to have some huge display to advertise for it. The line to get in actually wrapped around the block, so needless to say, we didn't make it inside.

The view from out Gondola as we headed up the mountain to the two-man bobsled event. That was a really pretty ride and these pictures hardly do it justice.

This is a panoramic view of the bobsled track from outside the gates.

Inter Milan vs Juventus (and other random pics)

What do you do if you want to see the biggest soccer match of the year between the top 2 Italian teams in the nation? 1. Show up to the stadium 5 hours before the start of the match 2. Find a ticket scalper 3. Pay him 35 euros (or more depending on how big your group is, you may get a discount) 4. He stamps your hand, yes that's right, just like a night club. No ticket needed 5. Stand outside a special gate 6. Walk in when they open it 7. Find somewhere to sit for the next 4 hours as you wait for the game 8. Scream your head off for the team whose section you happen to be sitting in at that time (beware if you wear the wrong colors, you may just get your a$$ kicked) Things to remember: they don't sell beer inside, so bring lots with you keep you warm; no cans, bottles only without the lids of course; no atms, so bring cash; and there will be almost as much marijuana as a Dave Matthews Band concert. It was quite an experience to say the least, but now I can finally say, I have been to an Italian soccer match.

Inside the Milan stadium just 3 hours before the start of the Inter Milan and Juventus soccer game. Imagine all of those seats filled with over 80,000 fans screaming their heads off, whistling for bad calls (apparently whistling is a bad thing over here), while smoking hash (which I did not partake in) and apparently having enough energy to sing songs with profanities that I never heard before and set the bleachers on fire after the game. I still think NC State was rowdier after the Florida State game when we ripped down the field goal posts and carried them back to Hillsborough Street. But maybe I'm just bias. The Italians did have cooler songs then us.

When in celebration, do as the Italians do, set the opposing team's stadium on fire.

The Coliseum. This is by far my favorite picture from the group of panoramic pictures. The composition is a little funky and my brother shows up as a ghost or something. Good stuff. I can't wait to use this feature at the Olympics!!!

Roman Forum. I like this one a lot. I wish I had known about this cool program, I may have taken more pictures for better detail. Oh well, it's still a darn good pic

Trevi Fountain. I looked through all my pictures and I do not have a single shot of the building attached to the fountain anywhere, so as a result, the corners are kind of cut off. Oh well, I guess this means I'll have to be return to Rome so that I can complete my collection.

Piazza di San Pietro in Rome. All photos are taken from one spot, kind of funky lighting though. Not sure how that happened.

The Olympic Torch stops in Pavia. This is the best picture we have of it, after waiting for 2 hours to see it! Would I do it again, sure, but I would also know to arrive 2 hours after it was suppose to arrive. I still can't believe that we actually saw it though. That was really awesome!

Me in a bar with Mike, Dave's friend, enjoying a beer while we wait for the bus after seeing the Olympic torch.