As much as we enjoyed the morning stroll through the
streets
of Colorado Spring (click here to see - Sunday morning in Colorado Springs), we had something else on our
minds, so we got in the car and headed to our next destination. Not
really far from where we spent our morning, just a few miles away. We
were moving from something old and traditional to something new and even
exotic - the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Museum. Even the building
actually looked out of place - too modern and unusual for a relatively
old city. But they placed it wisely... in an area where there aren't
many other buildings that would cause much discomfort...
The shape and materials used for this building looked really crazy,
and we spent a few minutes staring at the edges and tiles before
entering the museum.
It is modern. At least half of the exhibits are interactive, and you can find not only some artifacts, but also a lot of video and audio information. You can even shoot a bow or ski down a mountain using these quite realistic simulators... But still... we were more attracted to real things, like this diploma from 1922 (yes, from more than 100 years ago!).
They have a few interesting collections, like this one - the
torches that the athletes used to carry the flame to the opening
ceremony of the games. There are two almost complete collections in the
world, and one belongs to this museum. The older torches look like one
would expect them to look like...
But the modern ones are quite different. I think the last 30 years have changed the world a lot with new materials and technology, and these changes have also affected the Olympic Games. Technology and new design ideas have made possible things that no one could have imagine 100 years ago. But... maybe I am old-fashioned, but I like the old torches better.. they seem more authentic to me, I guess... Nevertheless... the latest ones are impressive at least.
You can find some artifacts too... like these souvenirs and tickets from the
1996
Atlanta games. It was interesting to look at those...
Did I mention this is an Olympic and PARALYMPIC museum? It is, and
there are many exhibits that tell you things you might not think
about... Like these prosthetic legs that show the evolution of the
running gear. Quite interesting.
In 2014, the US team wore some pretty exotic Ralph Lauren uniforms during the opening and closing ceremonies.
Another collection you might enjoy during your visit are the
Olympic medals. From the late 18th century right up to the latest
games... Interestingly, the earlier sets look very alike, very similar
to the ones from Athens in 1896.
But some of them stand up, like these square medals from
the 1990 games in Paris ;)
Many of the medals have the same design... like these medals from Rome in 1960. But these are special, it was the first time that the medals were not to be in boxes, but on the athletes' necks...
And now there is a parade of new and unusual medals... In 1990th
they started making medals out of other materials, like those using
French Lalique Crystals.
Norwegian sparagmite was used in 1994 to make the medals unlike any others. To be completely different ;)
Vancouver went one step further in 2010... No, these medals weren't damaged or bent by mistake... They were made this way :)
Now we were hungry again and stopped by the Ivywild School. The old
building was converted into a food court where you can find something
for lunch. We grabbed a big bowl of salad and a delicious sandwich and
enjoyed them while sitting under the bright and warm sun... We literally
feel our strength returning and the fatigue retreating... We were ready
for something else to achieve this day :)
While planning for this day trip, we discovered an interesting
hiking opportunity. It turned out that right in the center of Colorado
Springs there is a beautiful mountain park. A wild place that has miles
and miles of hiking trails... Parmer Park. So we left the car in a dusty
parking lot and went to explore the area.
We didn't plan for a long hike, we just wanted to spend a couple of
hours breathing in fresh mountain air and that's what we got!
The trails are easy and offer great views and some beautiful rock formations. We definitely fell in love with this place from the minute we stepped on the dusty trail and saw all that beauty...
We took the Grandview trail and I have to admit... the views are
grand. You can see Pikes Peak in the distance, as well as Colorado
Springs surrounding the park. And there is plenty of shade to keep you from
the scorching sun... what more could you want, right?
Some of the trails were busy with bikers, but others were walkers only, so you can find whatever you like if you go there.
I can't imagine how long it would take to create those bowls in the rocks... Centuries? More?
We only spent a couple of hours, as planned. We hiked 2.5 miles and
gained 500 feet of elevation gain. Not exactly a tough hike, but... we
got there after a few hours of other activities... so we thought it was
more than enough and were ready to go home...
Click here to see the hike on Google maps - Parmer Park hike
The pictures were taken on March 02, 2025.
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