A final farewell to the Olympics.....

Today sees the final day of the Paralympics which draws to a close London's wonderful summer of sport, whereby the capital delivered an amazing Olympics and Paralympics, and against all the advance cynicism, became a city of smiles and success. The Paralympics has been a sellout for the first time with full media coverage, and crowds of full capacity 80,000 cheering on the athletes in the stadium. These crowds have defined the Olympics as well as the 72,000 volunteer Gamesmakers who preempted the need for any heavyhanded secuirty with their sunny smiles. In addition to the sporting excellence, supportive crowds, and superb organisation, other distinctive features include the quirky  spectacle of the Opening and Closing Ceremonies, the beautifully designed cauldron and architecture of the venues, and the spectacular landscaping of the Olympic Park itself. As we say farewell to the Olympics today, here are some of my favourite, more unusual shots of the Olympic Park...

And so the legacy of the Olympic Park kicks in tomorrow, as initially the Park will close to set a 292 million pound project into place, which will see the park extended to include a new 35km network of footpaths, bridges, and cycle lanes, the venues converted to public use, and the athletes village turned over to residential use. The first part named North Park will reopen in July 2013, and the second South Park will reopen in the Spring of 2014. The Park's first major sporting event will be the London Cycling Festival in August 2013, followed by the 2015 European Hockey Championship. It has been a once in a lifetime experience to have been part of all this.....