SOCHI SCENE: Russians get whimsical
SOCHI, Russia (AP) Who says the Russians are all work and no play? Russia's lighter side was on display during the opening ceremony to the Sochi Games.
One of the highlights of the night was a fanciful scene that started with three giant, white, illuminated horses leading a parade of towering inflatables on to the stage. The balloons - all with the familiar bulbous tops of Russian cathedrals - bounced around the stage as children frolicked in a euphoric state of play.
It looked like a Russian version of Disney on Ice, and the thrilling scene wrapped with church bells ringing and the kids bounding off to loud cheers.
The night also included the ballet, classical music and odes to Dostoyevsky and Tolstoy as expected. But the Russians also made sure to let the world see them with their hair down.
-- Jon Krawczynski - Twitter http://twitter.com/APKrawczynski
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Associated Press reporters will be filing dispatches about happenings in and around Sochi during the 2014 Winter Games. Follow AP journalists covering the Olympics on Twitter: http://apne.ws/
