This was the day.
The world would be watching with intent, as London would officially kick off all proceedings.
Would it live up to the hype, would the transport system cope, would security hold up?
The answers were all in the positive!
At the very last minute, a friend from the US in the media secured a package bundle of unwanted tickets including two restricted view tickets to the Opening Ceremony - so I jumped at the chance to join him.
The Park
For the most part, security officials (including police drafted in) were pretty friendly. There are always one or two that, once they done a luminescent jacket and an official lanyard seem to think that they are holier than thou... but the Purple-clad volunteers in particular were amazingly cheerful and helpful.
The Olympic Park is HUGE. When you first come over the bridge and see the media centre, the stadium, the Orbit structure and the aquatic centre - you cannot help but be impressed. We likened it to a giant theme park - for sporting nuts. We just strolled around like grinning idiots for about an hour just soaking up the atmosphere.
Restricted View? No Kidding!
A TREE!!!! Seriously who puts a socking great tree in the middle of a stadium?!
With about half an hour to go, suddenly everyone around us started to make a move for the unsold seats below.
Initially the stewards were just struck immobile as they watched a wave of people in the seats above just flood down to the next seats.
One of them tried to tell us that the view was restricted here, and was shown a "before and after" photo, to which he had no answer.
To be fair to them, they let it go. No-one took the seats we vacated, so they went with it.
Green and Pleasant Land
A small choir of children interspersed in the crowd signing Jerusalem, followed by the other home nation anthems and lots of rural life depicted in front of us was nice and quintessentially British.
Pandemonium
One of the best parts of the ceremony for me - the coming of the industrial age, accompanied by an amazing percussion sequence led by Dame Evelyn Glennie.
The culmination of the glowing rings (and we saw the depiction overhead on the TV screens) was just incredible.
Happy and Glorious
This ceremony will go down in history as bringing British humour to the fore, with the Queen and Daniel Craig's Bond in a sketch, ending with the two "jumping" from a helicopter before the Queen was announced in the Royal Box.
All rose for the national anthem and the raising of the flag - it's hard not to descend into jingoistic fervour, but to sing the national anthem, as the flag is being raised, in front of your monarch is something quite special, and something I doubt I will ever have a chance to do again.
Second to the right, and straight on till morning
Perhaps an eccentricity too far for some, it was fabulously mad and with some good effects - who knew that multiple Mary Poppinses + dancing doctors and nurses trumps Voldemorty-type thing and a Child-catcher's cage.
Interlude
More comedy with Rowan Atkinson Mr Beaning the iconic run-along-the-beach segment of Chariots of Fire.
Frankie & June Say... Thanks Tim
This could just have easily been renamed Soundtrack to British Musical Heritage with 40 years of pop culture playing out in small bursts, but livening up the crowd. The finale revealed a thank you to Sir Tim Berners Lee, the inventor of the World Wide Web.
Abide With Me
One of the most haunting renditions of this hymn my Emili Sandé with dancers chorerographed and led by Akram Khan.
Welcome - The Athlete's Parade
The business end of the proceedings and the highlight of the ceremony.
Led by Greece, followed by teams in alphabetical order, and concluded with Sir Chris Hoy leading out the British atheletes.
All around we played a version of Opening Ceremony Bingo - highlights being calling out countries people had never heard of, the sight of the Czech Republic and their wellie boots, the fact that the US team were still streaming in when the flag bearer was three-quarters of the way around the track.
Then the GB team came out and if people had felt a burst of pride singing the national anthem in front of the Queen, that was NOTHING to watching Sir Chris Hoy leading the team out in white shorts and gold trim!
Bike a.m.
As we passed midnight, doves on bikes (yes really) calmed everything down.
Let The Games Begin
Lord Coe's speech was succinct and stirring and as the Olympic flag was raised alongside the national flag, and the oaths were taken, we were close to the thrilling end.
There is a Light That Never Goes Out
In the run up to the ceremony there was a lot of speculation as to which our our most esteemed gold medallists of the past would have the honour of lighting the flame in the cauldron.
Also, where was the cauldron!
It took everyone by surprise when the announcers read the names of young up and coming athletes who had been nominated by some of our greatest gold medallists, and the lighting and forming of the cauldron was amazing, along with the fireworks.
It does seem strange that there is no structure for the flame to remain throughout the games, but the imagery was stunning.
And in the end...
I did feel a little sorry for Sir Paul McCartney singing to a departing stadium ... but the real test was to follow.
80,000 into 1 Victorian Transport System...
An almost capacity crowd of 80,000, tipped out and made their way briskly to the Stratford station.
Predictably crowded but there seemed to be enough trains, and at Waterloo some of the last trains were being held to allow as many people coming in from Stratford to get on them.
My only worry was being able to get back home before the Surrey road closures for the road race, and the signs were being put out as I headed home in the cab.
For me, the whole journey was about 2 hours, which is way better than I thought it would be.
I am going to find it hard to ever be at an entertainment event that tops that.