SOCHI - If you don't like waiting in endless lines for a couple hours on any given morning or afternoon, attending an event as large as the Olympics is probably not for you.

Russian history books are full of photos of shoppers, commuters kerchief-wearing babushkas standing in line just to buy their share of bread or other essential goods. The decline of the Soviet empire and the freedom that it spawned has reduced the frequency of those images in the media, but old habits die hard. The process for purchasing tickets and then arranging to pick them up seemingly could not be more complicated and cumbersome. Tempers flared and some minor physical confrontations occurred today as thousands stood in line and barely moved for lengthy intervals. Many in our group paid for tickets far in advance of the trip to Sochi, but they came no closer to actually obtaining them today. 

The joyless experience of standing endlessly in line is made even less pleasant due to the miles of urban walking required to get close to the Olympic venues and hotels. Add on the time-consuming emptying of one's pockets and walking through screeners numerous times and you can begin to get the picture of the organized chaos. I'd write more, but I need to rest in order to prepare for tomorrow's quota of line time.

 

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