Athens 2004: What did you think?

[Glaucus]

KennyR wrote:
@asian1

The revenue collected from tourism alone due to the prestige of having the olympics outweighs any cost. Why do you think countries are tripping over themselves trying to host it?

Not if all the Werstern scardy-cat sports columnists are predicting doom-and-gloom before the games. Some actually recommended their viewers/readers NOT to go to Athens. As a matter of fact, tourism in Greece was better last year.

  - Mike

[Glaucus]

Today the local TV re-broadcasted the opening & closing ceremony. According to my friend, the title of the beautiful song is "Never On Sunday", the winner of OSCAR in 1960 (best theme song for a movie with the same title).

Is it? I don't think that's what it's called in Greek....  I'll have to check it out. There's an English version with that melody but the lyrics don't match the Greek lyrics. I'll have to re-watch it to double check...

As an aside, I did buy the Athens Olympics official CD called Phos (which means light). This is the one whith Greek singers, and it's not bad, kinda melow, but okay. There's another CD with crappy English singers (Unity) and a 3rd one with an orchestra (Harmony) - that last one might be good too. Unfortunately, that "Never On A Sunday" song isn't on any of them. In fact, I don't think any of the songs sung at the ceremony are on the CD, but some of those singers are. I particularly like track 14: Drapetsona - Antonis Remos. No idea what "Drapetsona" means, but the song rocks.  :-) My only complaint is that Giannis Savidakis wasn't featured at the ceremony - he's my favorite Greek singer.  :-)

  - Mike

[Glaucus]

Oh, and as for my favorite moment of the Olympics...  There were so many actually... One thing that most non-Greeks missed was actually before the games, when they took the Olympic flame across the water to Piraeus using an old-style trireme. That was kewl.

As for the Olympics themselves...  the drumming was cool, and I liked the moving statues in the parade. The Centaur who started it all off was neat too. Ah, it was all good, I'm waiting for the DVD to come out!  :-D Yup, that and the UEFA 2004 highlights.  :pint:  :-D

  - Mike