Saturday was a day to remember! Thanks to my brother I was invited as his guest to a VIP day with Royal Bank. On the Morning agenda: Breakfast at Level 36, VIP tour of the Mint Pavilion, Lunch and cocktails at Level 36. Afternoon agenda: Canada vs. Slovakia Women’s Hockey at Olympic Hockey House followed by cocktails at Level 36 where we watched the women’s aerials and met an Olympic Athlete. A day jam-packed with Olympic Joy!

Where is Level 36 you may ask? Well, it’s the newly renovated 36th floor of the Royal Bank building. The executive floor has been converted into a hospitality suite, complete with full kitchen service, bar and three breakout rooms. The decor rivals that of our trendy Yaletown bars; electric blue, modern white, clean lines of glass tables complemented the spectacular view. The Royal Bank had most definitely succeeded in creating an unforgettable place to watch a game, enjoy the company of friends and have a meal. The staff and hosts were exceptional, making our day one to remember for a lifetime.

The morning tour of the Mint Pavilion was like being at Disneyworld with a “Star” pass. After changing into dark blue jackets complements of Royal Bank, we were escorted to the Mint Pavilion and whisked up passed a line up of people waiting to see the medals. I felt slightly guilty, but knew that anyone would trade places with me in a second given the chance. The Medals team project manager presented his story of the making of the medals reviewing the time and care that was taken by the Royal Canadian Mint to ensure that these medals were truly unique and perfect. I encourage everyone to review the interactive website and recommend learning about our Canadian made medals as each is laser etched with a different image which when placed together form one artwork. We were given white gloves to wear and the medals were wheeled in for us to touch. I have to say they were heavier than I was expecting and it was really interesting to see Braille on the back of the Paralympic Medals. I will probably never get another chance to hold a 2010 Olympic medal, what a great experience.

After lunch and great conversation with the other invited guests we departed for the Women’s Hockey game at Canada Hockey House, formerly known as GM Place. As VIP’s we made our way to a separate line for security and entered the newly decorated Canada Hockey House. It was a surreal experience to walk through GM Place and not see even one notice or picture of the Vancouver Canucks. The entire interior has been morphed into an Olympic venue. We found our lower bowl seats just right of centre ice excited to see the teams already practicing. A sea of red and white fans flooded every part of the arena; it was a sight to see. Our country’s pride was undeniable; everyone was adorned in our colours to cheer on our women’s hockey team to a winning game. The game was a shutout, Vancouver 18 – Slovakia 0. I have to give the Slovakian goalie a mention; she had 67 shots on goal and played the game with conviction. The Slovakian team is still considered new to the sport, they played with stamina and perseverance. This game gave them a wealth of instructional plays that can be used for training purposes in the days to come at the Olympics.

Walking back to Level 36 we were stopped by a motorcade; 20 cars passed us by, so we figured it was someone important. The crowd speculated who it may have been, my guess Vice President Joe Biden. Back at Level 36 we relaxed into a bar seat and watched the women’s aerials. Looking over at the bar I recognized a distinctive hair cut; Collective Soul was enjoying a few drinks before playing at the Commodore. We ended the night having our picture taken with Michael Lewis, Canadian Bronze medalist in rowing at the Beijing 2008 Summer Olympics.

What an incredible day, thank you to my brother and to Royal Bank for the opportunity to be a VIP for a day!
The making of the medals...interactive tour

http://www.mint.ca/store/mint/learn/medailles-4400016