Local Family Offers Firsthand Look at London Olympics

Charles Hetzel and his family — wife Sarah, son Wills and daughter Cecily — are getting a glimpse of the Olympics that most of us will only see on TV.

After three years of planning, the Hetzels are in London not only to see the sights, but to also watch many Olympic events.

During their trip, they plan to see beach volleyball, wrestling, weight-lifting, gymnastics, swimming, track and field, and canoeing.

The Hetzels are keeping a blog about their experiences and have graciously allowed Libertyville Patch to share their photos and posts with you. Enjoy!

Here is Charles Hetzel's first blog post, shared August 1:

"Amazing day. Truly Inspiring. Making a lifetime of memories with the family. Great night of sleep (jet lag). Up by 8am and loving our hotel …. Full English breakfast. Kids loved it and took tea! Landed last minute Swimming ticket upgrade. Met a British Olympic Torch Bearer and took pics. Off to the Tube to Changing of the Guard at Buckingham Palace. Then awesome walk over to Horse Guards Park for an amazing up close view of Beach Volleyball (2nd row). 4 matches. A great party. Then Aquatics Centre for Swimming. Saw Phelps, Lochte, Missy Franklin, Nate win a Gold Medal, and USA Women win relay! Medal ceremonies, world records. Olympic Park at night! Loving London and The Games! And oh we were on broadcast TV for Anaheim CA news and we were live interviewed on the BBC radio at Olympic Park before swimming. Broadcast in over 300 countries."

Do you know anyone visiting London for the Olympics? Have you been watching them with your family? Share with us in the comments section below.