Cauldron next for torch
The Olympic torch relay has completed its 70-day tour, the final leg having been finished by royal barge on London's River Thames in front of tens of thousands of enthusiastic spectators.
It finished its 8,000 mile journey at Tower Bridge at midday, and will next be seen lighting the cauldron in the Olympic Park during the opening ceremony later on Friday.
"This is the start of the Games," said Frazer, 63, a retired Methodist minister who declined to give his surname, one of many lining both sides of the river and nearby bridges.
"It's quite exciting - you feel part of it. The hiccups get forgotten now."
Office workers stood in the floor-to-ceiling glass windows of adjacent pristine offices to get some of the best views.
Elaine Byham, 64, who had travelled with friends to see the flame for a second time after it earlier went through their neighbourhood, said: "It's a special day to see the relay because of the opening ceremony."
An estimated four million people have taken to the streets of the capital to cheer on the flame in the past week, bringing the total to about 14 million during its nationwide tour.
The relay began its final journey on Friday at Hampton Court Palace, made famous by Henry VIII, where the torch successfully negotiated the winding hedge maze.
It then boarded the royal barge Gloriana, used in Queen Elizabeth's celebrations last month to mark her 60 years' reign, to ride down the River Thames, the main waterway that weaves its way through the capital.
One of those waiting to see the flame arrive at Tower Bridge was Caroline Charles, whose daughter Amber had been contacted on Thursday to take part in the relay.
The 22-year-old basketball player had been a youth ambassador during London's successful bid in Singapore in 2005, her mother said.
"She got a phonecall last night asking if she had a pair of white trainers," Caroline said.
"She's really happy and proud to have seen it all the way through."
Organisers later said Amber Charles was the final torch bearer on the relay, taking it into a reception that was attended by organising committee chairman Seb Coe, London Mayor Boris Johnson and former England soccer captain David Beckham.
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