The real reason for my trip to the North East today was to be part of the opening of the Century of Olympic Posters exhibition at the Shipley Art Gallery in Gateshead.
Conceived and curated by the Victoria and Albert museum, the exhibition includes over 100 posters capturing the energy and intensity of the Games themselves.
My favourite (inevitably, perhaps, given my connection with the place) is the Moscow 1980 set. There's a quote on one poster from the then Soviet leader, Leonid Brezhnev, which encapsulates late 1970s Russia to me:
"The USSR has supported and will continue to support the modern Olympic movement."
Others I spoke to were drawn to the Berlin 1936 images or to the fabulous eccentricity of Barcelona 1992.
Which is your favourite?
The project at the Shipley, which includes sporting activity behind the gallery for Open Weekend, family events, a poster design competition for young people and the legendary 'Shipley Lates', has been granted the London 2012 Inspire mark.
It's Tyne and Wear Archives and Museums' second Inspire project so far (the first was for last year's Creative Spirits) and if the energy, commitment and innovative approach of the staff is anything to go by, it won't be their last.
Meanwhile, over the river and also under TWAM's auspices is the recently re-opened Hancock Museum. There have been queues outside in the 3 weeks since it opened.
The collection is strong on natural history. Personal highlights include the stuffed badgers and the real live 'giant hairy scorpions' (full title on the label).
Not immediately obvious how a Games-inspired project might develop, but if anyone can do it, it'll be Alec Coles and his team.
After all, we have a very broad definition of culture in our Cultural Olympiad...
My favourite is the "Munich 1972" poster featuring the famous transparent roof architecture, one of Germany´s most creative modern architecture. The poster just includes the statement "Munich 1972" and uses the official colour, a light blue, that has been chosen because the mountains in the Bavarian south appear light blue and white and it looks fresh, young and modern.The abstract forms are simple and highly aesthetic, timeless instead of fashionable. The Games were inofficially called the "Rainbow Games" because these colours were used and there are associated with peace.The aim was to show that there´s also another Germany, there´s not only the military disciplined and awful Germany of "Berlin 1936", not only the cultural tradition of Wagner, there´s also the tradition of Bach, there´s also a playful Germany that can be seen in the architecture and way of life of southern Germany and generally in the period of baroque.