Prior to and during the Winter Olympics of 1976,  I lived in the old Olympic Village which had been constructed for the 1964 games, and which were later converted into apartments.

1964 Olympic Village, Innsbruck

Outside the window of my apartment, one could see the final preparations being placed on the new Olympic Village; some athletes had already begun to move in.

New Olympic Village in final stages of preparation

Flag of the USSR being displayed from a window

While my circumstances did not allow for visiting any of the events, we were able to visit a number of venues prior to the games, and it was possible to see the ski jumping event and the Olympic flames in the stadium from the train station.

The excitement in the city during the games was palpable. I felt this decades later as I volunteered during the winter Olympics of 2002 in Salt Lake City; these games are the event of a lifetime, and Innsbruck was fortunate to be able to host the games twice within 12 years.

The Old Wolf has spoken.