Patrick Aventurier / Getty Images

Camera crews from all over the world continue to work Friday beyond 11:11 a.m., the time the Mayan apocalypse was supposed to occur in Bugarach village, France.

BUGARACH, France — The peacefulness of the Sals River Valley at the foothills of the Pyrenees in France belies its violent, enigmatic history. Once the place of ancient marauding Visigoths, its small villages were also home to the mystical Cathars and to the protectors of the cloth, the Knights Templar – both eliminated by inquisitions and despotic rulers.

Roughly two years ago, the peace of this land was broken once again by strange rumors surfacing online about Bugarach Mountain, a rocky beacon presiding over the landscape.

According to some reports, the peak of the mountain conceals an alien spaceship. Other sources say it is part of an alien space-time portal. The origins of the UFO stories have been difficult to trace, but have generated a response bordering on hysteria. Under normal circumstances, probably, such bizarre claims would have slunk away unnoticed or been relegated to the crazy bin. But, as they say, timing is everything.

For years, doomsayers warned that the end of a 5,125-year cycle in the Maya timekeeping system, which culminated on Dec. 21, would also signify the end of the world. In recent months, the UFO story has taken over the public imagination. Instead of being passed off as nonsense, Bugarach and its "resident UFO" became star European players in a global doomsday pantomime. And when it was announced that the regional authorities were calling in police and paramilitaries to prevent cultists from ascending the peak on doomsday, the village became the center of a media storm — a different kind of pantomime altogether.

Driving into the village on the morning of Dec. 19, a number of elements met the eyes: telltale blue uniforms and police vans peppering the sides of the roads, smoke rising languidly from stone chimneys, the looming figure of Bugarach Mountain. Other sights included columns of SUVs and satellite trucks snaking their way along the country roads. Roving packs of groomed-yet-rugged types with press passes and hungry looks were busy claiming positions within cordoned-off areas in the village.

No sight of cultists, or for that matter, anything more otherworldly than a mass of waterproof jackets and the hardened boots of teams waiting for their scoop. Soggy fields bordered with caution tape were reserved for vehicles, and over the course of the day the fields became emblazoned with acronyms and company crests, resembling an army of knights from different royal houses, awaiting battle.

Optimism reigned for the two days leading up to the eschatological event. Reporters heartily greeted each other and rival camera crews were sportingly scoped out. At dinner, the catch phrase, "Where are you from?" echoed around as different teams sat side by side at long tables, rubbing elbows and even sharing a bit of rustic bread. A cacophony of tongues filled the room. Outside, the village remained strangely empty.

Dawn breaks on Dec. 21 in Bugarach. Where are all the hippies? A Dutch producer mutters: "Maybe they’ve already crossed through the star gate." Most likely, they’ve been chased away.

"Anyway, who the heck would want to ride to another planet with this bunch?" NBC News overhears a French cameraman saying to his sound technician as he looks around the square.

Guillaume Horcajuelo / EPA

An unidentified woman speaks to journalists in the village of Bugarach in southern France on Dec. 21.

The few locals venturing out in the open are either bemused and vague, or are capitalizing on all the attention to make some cash — steaming croissants and chai tea are sold at a makeshift stall. The clientele? Dutch, French and Japanese TV crews. A young video artist from Switzerland takes a photo of a photographer taking a photo of reporters.

"This is very postmodern," he laughs. "This is the new story."

From time to time, rogue civilians break the fatigue that's setting in. A man arrives carrying a placard with the words, "The black stone of Bugarach." In an instant, he is mobbed by TV crews. Later, an angry resident shouts at the throng. Lenses swing and snap wildly.

Author Henry Lincoln accuses the media of creating and hyping the story.

"You’re doing it," he told NBC News. "If you would leave us in peace, nobody would be yelling about the end of the world and flying saucers coming to Bugarach."

Fair enough, this once sleepy town has been invaded. Neither by UFOs nor by extremists of any sort, but rather by dogged pursuers of what has proven to be an elusive story.

At what point does a reporter abandon a story? "Let’s get out of here. This is embarrassing," a correspondent states flatly.

Almost reluctantly, engines begin to start.

Guillaume Horcajuelo / EPA

Two men dressed in tin foil stand in the village as authorities block access to the peak of Bugarach in southern France on Dec. 21.

More world stories from NBC News:

• Engel, NBC crew believed they wouldn't leave Syria alive
• UN calls for ban on 'grotesque practice' of female genital mutilation
• Video: Syrian refugees speak out on the nightmare of exodus
• UFO lovers, light-seekers and lawyers await Maya end of days
• Rumors of plot to sterilize Muslims spark Pakistan killings
• Video: It's so cold in Siberia, boiling water freezes
• 'Doomsday' prompts jokes, mass arrests in China

Follow World News from NBCNews.com on Twitter and Facebook

News analysis

Updated at 5:41 a.m. ET on Nov. 7: Barack Obama faces no shortage of foreign challenges as he enters his second term as commander in chief.

While it is impossible to predict what may come, here’s a look at 10 issues likely to emerge as priorities for his administration:

1. Possible Afghan collapse/civil war
The Afghan government has been propped up by American and NATO troops and money but has failed in its basic functions of establishing national trust, security and unity. Afghanistan could devolve into a civil war as U.S. troops draw down in 2014, with old rivalries re-emerging between the north and south/southeast.

Once again, the country could be torn by an ethnic war between the Pashtuns and the now-defunct Northern Alliance, a legion of Tajik, Uzbek and Hazara militias. The risk is that Afghan security forces will then split along ethnic lines and President Hamid Karzai, whom critics accuse of being an uncooperative U.S. ally, could become an even greater liability.

On a recent visit to Afghanistan I spoke to some Tajik villagers outside Kabul, who promised me they would start fighting once American troops leave. They said they would battle a group of pro-Taliban Pashtun villagers nearby. When asked if Karzai's troops would be able to stop a clash, one tribal elder told me, "The corrupt government in Kabul? It can't do anything."

The dangers of an Afghan collapse are many: Afghan deaths, a loss of American prestige, a loss of NATO prestige, a moral blow to U.S. troops and veterans, a Taliban resurgence, huge setbacks for women, and greater power for Pakistan and Pakistani extremists.

Read more Afghanistan coverage from NBCNews.com

Slideshow: Afghanistan: Nation at a crossroads

Aref Karimi / AFP - Getty Images

More than ten years after the beginning of the war, Afghanistan faces external pressure to reform as well as ongoing internal conflicts.

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2. Possible Iran implosion or explosion
Iran, which is being pushed to a breaking point by U.S.-led currency and banking sanctions, won't simply sit back and watch its economy crumble. Persia is 7,000 years old and will fight to survive.

The increasingly isolated country is likely to act in one of three ways: accommodation and negotiation, weaponization, or diversion.

Faced with the crippling sanctions, Iran could simply decide it is paying too high a cost to pursue its nuclear program and could opt for negotiations and reconciliation with the United States and other members of the international community. This is clearly the preferred option of American leaders.

The other possibilities are more problematic. Iran could rush toward a nuclear capability, deciding the best way to survive is to obtain weapons so horrific that no one would dare attack. A nuclear program has arguably worked as a deterrent for North Korea and other states -- would Moammar Gadhafi have been deposed and summarily killed if Libya had had nuclear weapons? Iranians might not think so.

Source: Back-channel talks but no US-Iran deal on one-to-one nuclear meeting

A less risky approach would be to provoke a diversionary conflict through Hamas in Gaza, Hezbollah in Lebanon, the Houthis in Yemen, the Shiites in Bahrain, the Kurdistan Workers Party in Syria and Turkey, its position in the Strait of Hormuz -- or it could try to inflame anti-American and anti-Israeli sentiment.

Iran also could try to attack the American economy through sabotage or cyber warfare. Cornered as it is, Iran could become the aggressor instead of -- as it sees itself -- the passive victim.

Slideshow: Everyday life in Iran

At schools, in shops, and on the streets of big cities and small towns, daily life plays out in Iran.

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How Iran acts is up to its choosing but it's hard to see how it won't act -- for better or worse -- as the sanctions continue to bite.

Read more Iran coverage from NBCNews.com

3. Rise of the Muslim Brotherhood
The Arab Spring has empowered the Muslim Brotherhood across the Middle East and beyond. It and other ideologically similar and allied groups run the governments of Egypt, Tunisia and Gaza.

In Syria, the Brotherhood has a strong presence among the rebels and in Yemen, it runs half the government and much of the state's day-to-day functions. In Jordan and Morocco, the Brotherhood is the main opposition to the countries' ruling royal families. In leaderless Libya, it is an increasingly organized voice. And in Algeria, the movement's officials warn that their revolution is coming.

The Muslim Brotherhood's influence in the Middle East is likely to evolve in one of two ways. Military regimes that have been pushed aside could fight back and launch counter-Islamic revolutions, clawing back the Brotherhood's gains and keeping it tied up in internal political battles. This is already starting to happen in Egypt.

Analysis: Egypt's big turn under the Muslim Brotherhood

Conversely, the Muslim Brotherhood could consolidate its gains and dominate electoral politics in the Middle East for the next several years.

For the United States, the rise of the Brotherhood is not in itself a major challenge. Most of its leaders say they want good relations and economic ties with Washington. The problem, however, is Israel. The Brotherhood is fundamentally anti-Israel, and Washington is fundamentally pro-Israel.

While analysts can debate which presidential candidate is closer to Israel, both have expressed their commitment to it and its security -- just as every U.S. president has done.

But the Muslim Brotherhood will not make the same commitments to Israel's integrity and security. While campaigning to win the election in Egypt, the Brotherhood held rallies featuring speakers who called for the restoration of the Islamic Caliphate with Jerusalem as its capital.

The Brotherhood does not understand why Washington chooses to befriend one small country at the expense of relations with millions of Arabs and over a billion Muslims. Washington rejects having to make this choice.

This rift could become a showdown and devolve into violence. The timing depends on American policy and outside provocations that can be either by design -- "peace" flotillas to Gaza, Hamas rockets, an Israeli assault on Gaza -- or by accident, such as bigoted and dumb Internet movies.

4. Cyber threat
The United States has spent a decade fighting terrorists with some notable and many debatable successes. But bombs aren't the only kind of threat. In fact, a successful cyber attack could cause national and international chaos far exceeding a bombing in a major U.S. city.

Defense Secretary Leon Panetta recently warned about a possible cyber Pearl Harbor. Many military officials and analysts I know fully agree with him.

Panetta: Cyber intruders have already infiltrated US systems

5. Israeli strike on Iran
Israel may attack Iran's nuclear program if it believes sanctions are failing. The strike would likely delay but not stop the program, experts say. For the time being, Israel has decided to wait and see what impact the international sanctions have.

If Iran chooses a quick rush to make a bomb, Israel will most likely change course and opt for a military solution. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu made that point abundantly clear when he drew a red line at the United Nations and held up a picture of a bomb.

Read more Israel coverage from NBCNews.com

6. Revival of al-Qaida/Ansar al-Sharia
Al-Qaida's leaders have been killed and hunted, but the group hasn't gone away. Many al-Qaida factions have re-branded themselves under a new name: Ansar al-Sharia (partisans of Islamic law). Some of the militants also are finding new comfortable homes in the post-Arab Spring Middle East, blending into Salafist (Sunni fundamentalist) movements.

7. Rift with Pakistan
Pakistan and the United States have been locked in an uncomfortable marriage since the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks on the United States, and arguably long before that.

US, Pakistan should 'divorce,' ex-ambassador to Washington says

Critics accuse Pakistan of taking American counter-terrorism money and military support, while at the same time supporting terrorist groups.

Slideshow: Pakistan: A nation in turmoil

Muhammed Muheisen / AP

Images of daily life, political pursuits, religious rites and deadly violence.

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If the United States cuts off Pakistan -- which may happen as Washington becomes less reliant on Pakistani supply routes into Afghanistan -- Islamabad could become more belligerent, which would cause relations to deteriorate further. The withdrawal from Afghanistan will change the costly status quo that has existed with Pakistan since 9/11, and that change is unlikely to go smoothly.

Read more Pakistan coverage from NBCNews.com

8. Mexico and the growing war on drugs
According to some estimates, Mexico has become the most dangerous country in the world. Around 50,000 people have been killed in the country's drug wars. It is unclear if Mexico's President-elect Enrique Peña Nieto will be able to contain the violence, which has spread south to Central America and is showing signs of leaking north into the United States.

Read more Mexico coverage from NBCNews.com

Slideshow: Narco culture permeates Mexico, leaks across border

Mexico's drug war is also part of a drug culture with roots in music, movies and even religion

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9. US 'pivot' to Asia/China slowdown
In 2011, China overtook Japan to become the world's second-largest economy after the United States. The Obama administration has acknowledged China's growing military and political power, and has pledged to "pivot" or deploy more than half of the U.S.' naval assets to the Asia-Pacific region by the end of the decade. This, some argue, has contributed to souring relations between the two powers.

Adding to the troubles, China isn't cheap anymore and Chinese workers are no longer as willing to accept poor conditions and little pay. Strikes are increasingly common. Removing dissent from Chinese Internet sites is a full-time job for government censors. Growth rates remain high, but the cost of living and labor demands are going up.

Factories are already moving out of China to cheaper labor markets in Indonesia and Bangladesh. If China's economic growth slows for a prolonged period, the world will be dramatically impacted. The country's economic expansion has driven up oil prices and has made parts of the Middle East, Russia and Brazil exceptionally rich. Could labor unrest threaten the ruling Communist Party's grip? Any move from this giant creates a huge wake that will quickly wash onto American shores.

Read more China coverage on NBC's Behind The Wall

10. United States: Drifting?
For a decade, the United States has made fighting terrorism its main foreign policy goal. This is by definition a reactionary policy and is limited in focus -- without a global vision or sense of destiny.

In contrast, American rivals appear to have grand plans in place. Russia, under President Vladimir Putin, seems intent on regaining its Soviet and Tsarist glory. Turkey is flexing its muscles regionally and is re-establishing some of its Ottoman legacy and prominence. China is looking to consolidate its hold on swathes of Asia and beyond.

Full coverage: NBCNews.com's The World is Watching series

But what does the United States want to do? What is our goal? It is impossible to be influential if we don't know where we are going -- and any malaise would be damaging to the national interest. World powers must move to survive. Drifting is sinking.

More election coverage from NBCNews.com:

• Victorious Obama 'more determined' in face of challenges
• Now that he's won, six splitting headaches waiting for Obama
• Democrats retain control of Senate with series of hard-fought wins
• One big winner in Tuesday's vote: health reform
• Romney's English cousin sad he lost, sort of
• Rape remarks sink two Republican Senate hopefuls
• In costliest-ever Senate race, Warren beats Brown for Mass. seat
• Maine's Harley-riding King vowed to 'shake up' D.C.
• Republicans easily maintain control of House
• Colorado, Washington approve recreational marijuana use
• Wisconsin's Baldwin becomes 1st openly gay senator
• Pence in as governor of Indiana; Hassan wins in N.H.
• World welcomes Obama's 2nd term - but many challenges loom
• Majority of voters see American on wrong track
• Top 10 foreign policy issues facing Obama

Follow NBC Politics on Twitter and Facebook

Slideshow: Olympic Emotional Moments

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Click for more from the 2012 summer games in London.

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LONDON -- Following Sunday night's Olympic closing ceremony, NBCNews.com takes a tongue-in-cheek look at those who struck gold at London 2012 -- and some others who were left in the starting blocks.

WINNERS

Boris Johnson
London's tousle-haired mayor provided a moment of comedy gold when he got stuck on a zip wire at the city’s Victoria Park. For any other politician in charge of a major city, being caught on camera for several minutes dangling in front of a crowd of children like a sack of potatoes would have been career-ending. Not for Boris, whose self-deprecating style and easy charm convinced many pundits that he'll one day be elected prime minister.

The Paralympic Games
Maybe it’s the "Blade Runner" effect: Since South African double-amputee Oscar Pistorius made Olympic history by competing alongside able-bodied athletes in the 400m race, sales of tickets for the Paralympics Games have broken records. Some 2.1 million tickets have already been sold for the London 2012 Paralympics, which begin on August 29 – already well ahead of the 1.8 million total four years ago in Beijing.

Lanyard manufacturers
Around the most security-conscious Olympic Games in history, you’re nobody without a lanyard. The 11,000 athletes, 11,000 coaching or IOC officials, 21,000 media and 200,000 on-site workers all need laminated credentials with a barcode ID strip attached to a lanyard -- an orange-and-purple ribbon worn around the neck. Then you need 12,200 soldiers and 7,000 civilian security workers to check those credentials. And they need credentials, too. That’s at least a quarter of a million people needing lanyards. And once you’re inside the Olympic Park, you need a separate lanyard to get into individual offices and venues. It was a business opportunity on a plate.

Al Bello / Getty Images

U.S. swimmer Michael Phelps shows off his Olympic credentials -- and the lanyard holding it -- on July 24.

Westfield shopping mall, Stratford, East London
It opened its doors in the pit of Britain’s worst post-war recession and is located in a former industrial zone in one of London’s crime hotspots. Yet for the past two weeks, Westfield shopping mall, adjacent to the Olympic Park, has been the must-visit destination of the Games as athletes from around the world wander between the Apple Store and the Abercrombie & Fitch, posing for pictures and signing autographs for fans. The Cow, a bar at the end of the shopping center nearest the park entrance, is making more than $47,000 a day, according to one worker.

Missy Franklin
The 17-year-old's four gold medals and a bronze propelled her to a whole new level of fame. According to a sports marketing expert and two agents, this could be worth between $1 million and $5 million a year in endorsements, The Denver Post reported. "She's got a great smile," Andrew Stroth, a sports attorney specializing in endorsement deals, told the paper. "Her story's fantastic. She seems like an all-American girl, a young lady who really cares about people inside and outside the pool." 

Austria House
Of all the national hospitality houses that sprang up in London – the work of tourism agencies seeking to promote their country to the millions of Games visitors – Austria House, near the Tower of London, has been the most surprising success. Crowds regularly lined up around the block to buy beer at $6 a pint and sauerkraut at $12. How Austria managed to turn an overpriced temporary beer patio in the financial district into a to-be-seen-in venue remains a mystery, but Tower Hill has been alive with the sound of music since the Games began.

Jim Seida / NBC News

Julia Sailer pours two-liter beers as fast as she can sell them at Austria's national hospitality house on Tuesday.

London tube train and bus drivers
By threatening strike action during the Games, London’s underground train drivers -- already paid almost double the U.K. average wage -- secured a bonus payment of $1,400 to compensate for temporary changes in shift patterns. Angry at being left out, bus drivers used the same tactic to win themselves $900 regardless of whether their route was affected by the Games.

Britain's military
Britain’s soldiers stepped up to the plate when private contractor G4S failed to supply enough security workers. Despite concerns at the militarization of the Games, their placatory presence and application of much-needed courtesy and common sense at the airport-style searches was welcomed by spectators. The experience has left some Brits secretly wishing the military would also run the London Underground, most major sporting events and Heathrow Airport. 

Dave Martin / AP

British troops cheer along with the crowd as they get a break from security duties to watch the Brazil vs. Great Britain beach volleyball match on July 30.

More London 2012 coverage from NBCNews.com

LOSERS

Greedy hotels and landlords
In February, NBCNews.com revealed that landlords in Britain's capital were evicting tenants in order to cash in on the Games by charging tourists many times the usual rent. Hotels also began charging exorbitant rates for rooms even in mediocre locations. However, up to one-third of those rooms were left unsold, according to The Daily Telegraph, while volunteers helping at the Games stayed at a temporary campsite rather than pay over-priced rates for accommodation. On top of that, Londoners have embraced the spirit of the Games by opening up their own homes free of charge to athletes’ families and spectators from around the world.

Slideshow: No tickets to the Olympics? Five London parks offer the next best thing

Around London, alternative Olympic viewing sites offer locals and tourists a cheaper, crowd-free version of the Games.

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London cyclists
It was meant to be the "greenest" Summer Games in history, but although Britain won a slew of cycling medals London 2012 hasn't been much fun for the city's ordinary cyclists. Part of a popular route for cyclists down the east side of London -- a path along the River Lea -- has been closed for security reasons because it runs close to the Olympic Park. And cyclists were also not allowed to use many of the Olympic Lanes set up for officials, athletes and others involved in the Games. To cap it all, a man cycling home to help avoid traffic congestion during the Games was knocked over and killed by an official London 2012 media bus. 

Jim Seida / NBC News

A cyclist uses his phone to help navigate around the security gate blocking the bike path along the western edge of London's Olympic Park on July 21.

British soccer players
The good grace and sportsmanship of Olympic athletes has thrown into sharp contrast the behavior of Britain’s highly-paid but mostly charmless professional soccer players.

Tourist attractions
Visitor numbers at London's traditional tourist attractions such as the Tower of London and St Paul’s Cathedral fell by up to 40 per cent during the Games as dire warnings about likely transport chaos, congestion and long lines turned the city center into a ghost town. 

Slideshow: Graffiti Games: UK street artists take on Olympics

Jim Seida / NBC News

Street and graffiti artists have been satirizing, celebrating and making jokes about the Olympic Games in London.

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Small businesses
Many local businesses suffered too. Traders at a food market close to the Olympic Park face financial ruin, according to local reports, after paying up to $25,000 for market pitches on streets that turned out to be deserted. One spent more than $30,000 on rent, stock and equipment for his Thai food stall and failed to sell a single meal.

British taxpayers
The U.K. government spent some $14.5 billion on hosting the Games, according to organizers LOCOG, although experts suspect that cost could be considerably higher when all factors – such as public employees’ time – are taken into consideration. British Prime Minister David Cameron said before the Games that he was confident London 2012 would provide a $20 billion boost to the economy over the next four years. But that figure has been met with some skepticism. Professor Richard Jackman, of the London School of Economics, told NBCNews.com the financial benefits of the Olympics were always “grossly over-estimated” and “unfortunately our taxpayers are funding this.” He suggested the Olympics might make "a few billion." And Jackman is not alone. A poll of economists by Reuters found that 23 out of 27 thought the Games would not provide a lasting economic windfall.

Slideshow: Venues for 2012 London Olympic Games

Oda / Getty Images

From Wimbledon to Wembley Stadium to The Dome, a look at the venues for the 2012 London Olympic Games.

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Athletes in disgrace
Swiss soccer player Michel Morganella, 23, was stripped of his Olympic accreditation for posting a racist message on Twitter after his team lost 2-1 to South Korea. Swiss officials said the message was offensive and threatening. Triple-jumper Voula Papachristou was also cut from the Greece team after posting a comment mocking African immigrants.  Eight badminton players, from South Korea, Indonesia and China were disqualified after they tried to lose games in order to get an easier draw in the next round. The crowd booed the competitors when it became obvious they were not competing. Sebastian Coe, chairman of Games organizers LOCOG, said the spectacle was "depressing," adding "who wants to sit through something like that?" However, disgruntled fans were not given their money back.

Tullio M. Puglia / Getty Images

Swiss soccer player Michel Morganella lost his accreditation after sending a racist tweet.

Francisco Leong / AFP - Getty Images

Revelers dance during a party at Casa Brasil in London on Sunday night. Rio de Janeiro will host the 2016 Summer Olympics.

Updated at 4:47 a.m. ET: LONDON -- A few miles from London's Olympic Stadium, partying Brazilians gathered Sunday night to watch the closing handover ceremony on giant screens -- and to contemplate the work ahead of them before the 2016 Summer Games in Rio de Janeiro.

Organizers of Rio 2016 have been spreading their buzzwords of "passion" and "embrace" but after a London 2012 Games that has been praised for its smooth delivery and the triumphant sporting achievement of the host nation's athletes, they are already under scrutiny.

With music and cheekiness, 'happy and glorious' Games close

Jacques Rogge, president of the International Olympic Committee, on Sunday urged Brazil to do everything it could to ensure a better performance in four years’ time after the country came 22^nd in the medal standings with just three golds.

“You need gold medals, that is so important for the mood of the public and the general atmosphere of the Games," he told a press conference.

"We had to wait a few days for the first bronze, but from then on you couldn’t follow the pace,” he said about the British team’s results. “We’re relying on exactly the same [from] our Brazilian friends. 

Slideshow: Rio de Janeiro

Michael Regan / Getty Images

Brazil's 'cidade maravilhosa' (marvelous city) steps into the international spotlight as it prepares to host the 2014 World Cup and 2016 Summer Olympic Games. Explore some of the sights the city offers.

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“If you want a good result in Rio 2016, it’s time to start and kick off as soon as possible,” Rogge added, noting the U.K. had won just one gold medal at Atlanta in 1996. 

What has Rio learned from London 2012?

As London officially handed the Olympic baton to Rio at the closing ceremony, Brazilians and other revelers gathered at "Casa Brasil" -- a temporary promotional space for Rio 2016 at London's historic Somerset House -- to watch the event on giant screens.

“It’s a time to show your city, show your culture. I hope Rio can have a ceremony like that as well,” said Joao Brasil, 34, a DJ who has lived in London for three years but plans to return to Brazil for the soccer World Cup in 2014 and the 2016 Olympics. He said being in London for 2012 Games had been “amazing.” 

Ian Johnston / NBC News

Joao Brasil celebrates London's Olympic handover to Rio at a Brazil-themed party near the River Thames on Sunday night.

"The party is beautiful it is really exciting to be here before being in Brazil, in Rio… It’s really emotional actually.”

London 2012: Who were the real winners, losers?

He said British friends had been unimpressed before the start of the Games, but had been swept away in the wave of enthusiasm that hit after they actually started with film director Danny Boyle’s opening ceremony.

While Brazil only earned three gold medals, Brasil said they had only narrowly missed out on a number of others. And even if Brazil did not do well in 2016, he said the people would still be enthusiastic hosts.

“It’s going to be wild,” he said.

Olympic heroes turn tourists

He was among a crowd watching the ceremony in the courtyard of the grand 18th-century building, overlooking the River Thames, which was flooded with light in the green, yellow and blue colors of the Brazilian flag.

Alastair Jamieson/NBC News

Richard Pope (far left) and his wife Penny (far right) visited Casa Brasil in London on Sunday with Penny's brother Jim (second from right) and his wife Sue (second from left) with their children Ralph, 6, (front left) and Daisy, 8, (front, right) and their friend Kit Simmons, 10 (front center).

Brazilian music, including an appearance from Brazilian Beatles tribute band called Sargento Pimenta, added to the carnival atmosphere. When the handover ceremony was complete, flags proclaiming 'Welcome to Rio' were unfurled from the roof of the building and the crowd began to dance wildly and wave Brazilian flags.

'The world is going to embrace Brazil'
Danilo Costa, 28, a lawyer originally from Sao Paolo, now living in London, said he had initially been “skeptical” and “worried” about the Brazilian section of the closing ceremony, but had been won over.

Slideshow: Olympic Emotional Moments

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Click for more from the 2012 summer games in London.

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“I’m much more impressed by what they did, than what the British did in Beijing,” he said. “I think that was really good, I’m really impressed.”

”I think the world is going to embrace Brazil… and have lots of fun,” he added.

Olympic jokers: Queen has 'a laugh,' empires compete

Costa said he thought the Games would enable his country to show its true nature to the world.

“We can benefit a lot from this. It looks like our image abroad is a lot worse than the reality,” he said.

Alastair Jamieson / NBC News

Children play in the fountains on Sunday afternoon at Casa Brasil, the temporary exhibition space set up at London's historic Somerset House to promote the forthcoming Rio 2016 Olympic Games.

Nicole Spinelli, 24, from Sao Paolo, Brazil, who has been studying for a finance degree in London, said she was “very excited” about the Rio Games, providing it was as well organized as those in London.

“If they can keep it organized and things can run properly, we will enjoy the party, otherwise it’s going to be a mess – without any party,” she said.

Read more London 2012 coverage from NBCNews.com

Fellow finance student Rosemary Fernandes, 30, from Santa Katarina, Brazil, said she hoped Rio 2016 would have as good an atmosphere as the London Games, saying “people were cheering all the world,” not just the British athletes.

On Brazil’s sporting performance, she added, “they didn’t do well here so hopefully they will do better in Brazil.”

Alastair Jamieson / NBC News

Brazilians in London celebrate the Olympic handover at the Casa Brasil exhibition space near the River Thames on Sunday night.

Earlier in the day, Rio 2016 officials were on hand to explain their Games bid, and to sell Brazilian culture - - including free yellow Olympic T-shirts --  to lines of tourists and curious British Olympic spectators.

“I don’t think there will be any empty seats at Rio,” said Philip Nagenda, who toured Casa Brasil with friends after watching his native Uganda beat Kenya in the men’s marathon final in central London. “I think people are very passionate there and will turn up.”

Alastair Jamieson / NBC News

Philip Nagenda, Jospeh Kiwalabye and Ronald Mukasa from Uganda, Martin Kimani from Kenya and Fabrice Jean from Canada try out one of London's free bicycles while wearing promotional Rio 2016 shirts outside Casa Brasil in London on Sunday.

His friend Ronald Mukasa, also from Uganda, said: “I think Rio will be more colorful, maybe have a bit more character than London – but it will be hard for them to get the transport as good. Everything has been well organized in London.”

Olympics chief touts women's access to sports

Jim Armitage, from Reading, Berkshire, said: "I think Rio will be spectacular but London has so many historic and symbolic venues, such as the beach volleyball in Horseguards Parade. I know Rio has the Christ statue and Copacabana beach but I think London will be a very hard act to follow."

His wife Sue added: "I hope Rio is able to recreate the great sense of excitement and involvement in the Games, particularly with screen so you can follow all the action. We were at the sailing in Weymouth [on England’s southern coast] and watching Andy Murray win gold at the tennis on the screen and it felt as if we right were at Wimbledon, too.”

Alastair Jamieson / NBC News

American track cycling silver medal winners Jennie Reed (L), Sarah Hammer and Lauren Tamayo (R) in front of London's Tower Bridge, Saturday.

LONDON – Posing for photos in front of Tower Bridge and buying souvenirs on the sidewalks, they could be any other tourists among the summer crowds. But with most London 2012 events now over, it's the turn of the world's greatest athletes to be awe-struck as they turn up at visitor attractions across the city.

Rebecca Soni, American gold medalist and winner of the 200m breaststroke, took a trip on the London Eye with fellow swimmers on Saturday, while double-gold winning gymnast Gabby Douglas went sightseeing on Wednesday, according to ESPN.

“Go USA!” shouted an onlooker as three of the U.S.'s four track cycling silver medalists -- Lauren Tamayo, Jennie Reed and Sarah Hammer -- took a tour of the Tower of London with NBCNews.com on Saturday.

“It’s great to get out and see a bit of London,” said Reed, from Seattle. “Tower Bridge is stunning -- it’s incredible to have seen it on the TV so many times and now to see it up close.”

The trio was greeted at the 11^th century royal fortress by a Yeoman Warder in traditional dress, and saw the Crown Jewels during their walk-through.

“It was incredible,” said Hammer. “We also saw the room where they used to keep all the exotic animals like lions and polar bears.”

Apart from a few admiring glances, the women moved largely un-noticed through tourist crowds outside the Tower, where Reed stopped to buy some art on the sidewalk.

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“For the first week we in the bubble of the village and didn’t really go out at all,” said Tamayo. “It’s easy to forget that you now need to take all your personal things again. When I went out I realized I was on the Tube and didn’t have any credit cards or ID on me except my accreditation.”

The women plan to visit Borough Market to buy gifts and specialty foods before leaving London with their teammates on Monday.

As well as turning tourist in London, the entire U.S. Olympic team has been giving back to the host nation by donating $157 per gold medal won at the Games to local sports and recreation charity Kids Company as part of Thank You Britain campaign.

Alastair Jamieson/NBC News

Silver medal-winning track cyclists Jennie Reed (L), Sarah Hammer and Lauren Tamayo (R) outside the Tower of London on Saturday.

Fans: Day at Olympics well worth $1,000 for family of 4

Reed said the athletes had much to be thankful for, including the Olympic Village.

“The accommodation has been great and the food probably the best of any Games I’ve been to,” she said.

Hammer described the atmosphere inside the Village, where their shared apartment overlooks part of the Olympic Park.

“Sometimes we have been watching events on TV and when you turn the sound down you can actually listen out the window and hear the same crowd noise for real -- it’s incredible,” she said.

Their verdict on London? “It’s very busy -- I’m amazed that people here are describing this as quieter than usual -- and the atmosphere is great,” said Tamayo.

"It's easy to forget that these world class athletes are tourists, too, and most are now enjoying all that Britain offers," said Mark Di-Toro, a spokesman for tourism agency Visit Britain. "When the athletes leave is when our work really begins to create a sustained and positive tourism legacy."

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Jim Seida / NBC News

L-R: Gail and Dennis Serwick from Woodbridge, N.J., and their daughter Megan, 7 (front left) and Kim and Rick Van Liew from Randolph, N.J., and their sons Matthew, 11, (front middle) and Russell, 12 (front right), In London's Olympic Park Thursday.

LONDON – A day at the Olympics in one of the most expensive cities on the planet was never going to be cheap. But for a group of sports fans from New Jersey this "once in a lifetime experience" was well worth spending the equivalent of about $1,000 for a family of four.

Ticket prices for every event -- including the opening and closing ceremonies -- start at a symbolic GBP 20.12 ($32), but most seats cost considerably more, and getting access to smaller venues such as the 6,000-capacity velodrome has proved tough.

“It was so incredibly hard to get tickets,” said Gail Serwick, from Woodbridge, N.J., who eventually managed to secure seven seats in the aquatics center at $110 each thanks to relatives who live in her native Wales.

Slideshow: No tickets to the Olympics? Five London parks offer the next best thing

Around London, alternative Olympic viewing sites offer locals and tourists a cheaper, crowd-free version of the Games.

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Five were for the women’s 10m platform diving finals on Thursday morning, while two were for synchronized swimming in the afternoon.

“The allocation on sale in Britain was higher so it was the only real way we could get tickets. We tried everything and got so many rejections before we got these. You could get cheaper but we didn’t want nosebleed seats where you can’t see anything because we wanted it to be a special occasion," Serwick said.

She traveled to London with her husband Dennis and daughter Megan, 7, and another family -- Rick and Kim Van Liew and their sons Russell, 12, and Matthew, 11, from Randolph, N.J.

Their Olympic day out started with a shopping blitz for souvenirs and merchandise including London 2012 T-shirts and sweatshirts for the group and family and friends at home.

London 2012's legacy: No more UK couch potatoes or another Olympic 'white elephant'?

In total, Serwick and Kim Van Liew spent $907 in the official London 2012 store in Hyde Park near their hotel -- easy to do when a T-shirt costs $40.

Jim Seida / NBC News

Kim Van Liew and her friend Gail Serwick show off their tickets to synchronized swimming at London's Olympic Park, Thursday.

Then there is the cost of food and drink inside the Olympic Park, where sponsors Coca-Cola, McDonald’s and Heineken control the prices. A Big Mac costs $4.20, a Big Mac Meal $6.70 and an individual tub of Caramel ice cream $3.90. For drinks, a 500ml (16.9 fl oz) Coke costs $3.60 while a pint (19.2 fl oz) of Heineken is $7.20.

For China officials, Beijing's Olympic 'white elephants' were worth it

In total, the group spent $93, or $13.40 per head on lunch and snacks while enjoying the sprawling park between their two events.

The only cost they didn’t have to worry about was transport: Free one-day Oyster transit cards are included with all tickets.

“We got a bus then a train to get here,” Van Liew said. “Everyone was very helpful – everywhere you looked there was somebody on hand to help.”

Fears raised that London Games will see big increase in Big Brother surveillance

In total, their day at the Olympics cost $1,770 between seven -- equivalent to nearly $253 per head, or about $1,011 for a family of four. So was it worth it?

“I was very impressed, I think the tickets were good for the price,” Dennis Serwick said. “I’ve been to Wimbledon and Roland Garros and these Olympic tickets were better value. We had a good view of the action, didn’t need binoculars or anything.”

Read more from NBC News about the Olympics

Rick Van Liew said the tickets were equivalent to the price of seats to watch Major League Baseball at the Yankee’s stadium.  Indeed, tickets for an October home game against the Boston Red Sox on sale Friday ranged from $38 to $200.

“This is a once in a lifetime experience," Gail Serwick said, "and it’s hard to put an exact price on that."

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Alastair Jamieson/NBC News

Anya Starovoytov, from San Francisco, likes the music at Saturday's track events

LONDON – Organizers of the London Games on Saturday defended loud music played in the Olympic Stadium while athletes are competing.

Pop tunes with a playlist dominated by British artists were being played constantly between Friday night’s events at the 80,000-seater track and field venue, and also during longer races such as the women's 10,000-meter final.

Some commentators and ticket-holders criticized the decision via social media, calling it “intrusive” and “horribly, unforgivably misjudged.”

Jackie Brock-Doyle, director of communications at the London Organizing Committee of the Olympic Games (LOCOG), said the idea had been approved by the sport's IAAF governing body.

She told reporters on Saturday: “In terms of the music, I think we have the level right, but if you are saying that people are not liking it, then, of course, we will have a look at it, but we have actually had loads of really positive feedback about the atmosphere and the music in the venue.”

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Paul Kelso, sports writer at The Daily Telegraph newspaper, wrote on Saturday that the music was “drowning out the golden moments of London 2012.”

He wrote:

Locog have made much of their use of music in venues, and for the most part it has been well-judged and discerningly selected. Who has ever heard This Charming Man by The Smiths at an athletics meeting before?

But last night, as the women’s 10,000m provided the climax of an exhilarating first day, it was horribly, unforgivably misjudged. The race is one of the great treats of the Olympics, a slowly unfolding drama of tactics and pacing, team strategy combining with individual ambition to provide a unique, always memorable event.

But instead of respecting the athletes and allowing the drama to unfold naturally, the witless gang in the stadium DJ booth decided that techno and twaddle would enhance the experience.

So as a group of four athletes, including eventual winner Tirunesh Dibaba, broke the field and gathered themselves for the finish with 2,000m to run, the commentator, Canadian Garry Hill, encouraged a Mexican Wave to track them round the stadium.

Worse, with two laps to go he dropped some house music. For what its worth it was a decent tune, but it was an unforgiveable distraction from the climax of one of the purest tests of athleticism we will see at the London Games. It might also have been a distraction to the athletes as they calibrated their pace for the final surge.

His comments were echoed by many Twitter users.  Athletics Weekly editor Jason Henderson Tweeted: "Not sure about loud, thumping music in athletics stadium. Grands prix, fine. But Olympics should be more traditional, surely."

London journalist Nick Metcalfe posted: “Is the gloss being taken off the Olympic Stadium atmosphere already? Many complaints about intrusive announcements and music.”

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However, the crowd at Saturday's track events was more positive. Tom Wong, from east Yorkshire, England, said: "I really like it - they've chosen the music well and it really helps the atmosphere - it would feel very quiet otherwise."

Anya Starovoytov, from San Francisco, said: "It's getting everyone really pumped up - I can't see that it would bother anyone."

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The music was also defended at Saturday’s press conference by Teresa Edwards, chef de mission at the United States Olympic Committee. She said: “I love it. You can't hear it. In basketball it definitely goes out as soon as the player hits the floor. It entertains the crowd, and we are very used to it in the States, to be honest with you.”

Alastair Jamieson/NBC News

Tom Wong, from east Yorkshire, England, welcomed the music

Olympic hosts: Londoners open their homes to the world

Patrick Bauman, secretary-general of the Federation of International Basketball, added:  “Personally I maybe agree that it is loud but that is a personal view. The spectators really love it. It does not bother the players and the athletes, they are playing the game.

“In my venue we haven't received any complaints at all. They come in at 9 o'clock in the morning, they leave at midnight and they are all happy, so I think they have the right mix of talent on the field, at least in our sport, and of music and of loudness as well because people like to cheer, they like their kiss cam, and they like singing English songs which are known worldwide, and I think that is really good. It brings more to their experience. It has been excellent, and certainly better than what we had in the past.”

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Alastair Jamieson / NBC News

Graham and Delwyn Cure, parents of Australian track cyclist Amy Cure, are staying with Elizabeth Gill, center, at her home in Muswell Hill, North London, during the Olympic Games.

LONDON – When one of the most expensive cities in the world hosts the Olympics, high prices for tickets and hotel rooms are no surprise. But Londoners have embraced the spirit of the Games by opening up their own homes free of charge to athletes’ families and spectators from around the world.

Dozens of British residents have invited guests to use spare rooms as part of organized homestay schemes, while countless more have offered up their sofas through message boards for budget travelers such as Couchsurfing.

For some, it was reports of hotels and homeowners attempting to cash in on the Olympics that motivated them to offer open up their homes. 

In February, NBCNews.com revealed that landlords in Britain's capital were evicting tenants in order to cash in on the Games by charging tourists many times the usual rent.

“I didn’t want the world to come away from London thinking we were only interested in trying to make money from people,” said Liz Gill, who is hosting Graham and Delwyn Cure, from Tasmania, Australia, whose 19-year-old daughter Amy is due to represent her country at the women’s track team cycling later on Friday.

“When you visit a country for the first time you take away an impression of the place and the people and when I read all these reports of exorbitant hotel prices I thought it would be such a shame if that’s what Britain was remembered for. We’re delighted to have visitors,” she added.

Jim Seida / NBC News

Sofa so good: Couchsurfer Shamey Cramer, left, from Los Angeles, and his host in east London, Emy Ritt.

As long ago as February, when the biggest tranche of tickets for London 2012 went on sale, hotel rooms in London had already peaked during Games dates. British consumer organization, Which?, found a double room at the Best Western hotel on Shaftesbury Avenue for Saturday – the night of the men’s 10,000 metres final – was $733 compared to only $435 for a normal Saturday night last month.

Gill offered space in her north London home through More Than Gold – a charitable organization originally set up to represent the work of local churches at the 1996 Atlanta Games.

She is not charging anything for her spare room – something she says is “part of the spirit of the Olympic Games.”

“We have only known for a few weeks that Amy was definitely going to be part of the Olympic squad,” said Graham Cure. “There was no doubt we didn’t want to miss our daughter in her first Olympics, but by now air fares were more expensive and we were thinking about where to stay.

“We’d already spend AUS$3,000 ($3,150) each on tickets and I’d previously looked at renting a house from a list on an official website, but most people on it wanted upwards of AUS$4,500 ($4,750) a week and wanted bookings for the entire three weeks, whereas we only needed one week. There was no way we could spend that sort of money.”

Delwyn Cure added: “We always hoped something would fall into place, and in the end somebody at Cycling Australia mentioned homestay schemes and we were put in touch with Liz.”

While athletes’ families are usually given free tickets for events, offers of accommodation are rare.

For others, it was not just the price of London hotels but the atmosphere that was unappealing.

“I hate soulless and expensive chain hotels,” said Shamey Cramer, a postgraduate student originally from Los Angeles who secured a spare sofa in east London – minutes away from the main Olympic Park - through the Couchsurfing site.

“Some people like hotels, but I much prefer to meet people and experience more of the place I’m in. This is my first time doing this and it seemed the perfect way to see London during the Games.”

His host, Emy Ritt, who is working as a transport organizer for London 2012, said: “It’s a great way to meet people. You can see each other’s profiles before making arrangements, so you generally can tell it’s people you’re likely to get along with.”

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Jim Seida / NBC News

Protesters pass a surface-to-air missile site atop a water tower on a residential block in Bow Quarter, London, Saturday. This is one of six missile sites installed around London in case of a 9/11-style attack during the Olympic Games.

LONDON -- Hours after the opening ceremony fireworks echoed around east London, up to 400 demonstrators marched through a neighborhood near the Olympic Park to protest what they called the "Corporate Olympics."

The event, organized by Counter-Olympic Network and supported by 35 groups ranging from Occupy London to ecological and local anti-austerity campaigners, targeted issues including free tickets for sponsors, missile sites on residential blocks and the ethics of Olympic corporations such as BP and Dow Chemical.

“A significant number of people in this country -- about 20 percent, according to a poll -- are not happy with the Olympics because of the involvement of large corporations about which are significant concerns,” said Julian Cheyne of the Counter-Olympic Network. “We are representing their views and making sure that opinion is expressed.

Jim Seida / NBC News

Protester Dana Wojokh from New Jersey was in east London on Saturday protesting the plight of Circassians in Russia.

“It is shameful that BP is a sustainability partner of the Olympics after the damage it did to the Gulf coast with their spill, and Dow Chemicals are not meeting their moral and ethical obligations to help the victims of the Bhopal disaster.”

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The Saturday lunchtime event passed without incident, in contrast to Friday night’s Critical Mass protest –- against the temporary closure of cycle lanes to make way for VIP Games traffic -- that saw 130 arrests.

It coincided with a visit by the Queen to the athletes' village and the swimming arena, and came only 12 hours after the spectacular opening ceremony watched by billions across the world. The protest was significantly smaller than organizers' original estimates of up to 5,000, and at one stage was almost outnumbered by news reporters and camera crews.

Protesters, flanked by large numbers of police motorbikes, began in Mile End and went past the Bow Quarter apartment building whose roof tower is one of six sites around London where the military have installed Rapier missile launchers as part of London’s $877 million security operation protecting the Games.

“This is the heaviest militarization of London since the Second World War,” Cheyne said.

One protest banner read: “International games OK. No to Corporate backed destruction of people’s homes, green space, livelihoods, human rights.”

Jim Seida / NBC News

A crush of media surrounds a supporter of the Olympics during an anti-Olympic protest march Saturday in east London.

As protesters shouted slogans outside Bow Quarter, soldiers guarding the missile launcher stared back from their temporary lookout position at the top of the tower.

As it went along Bow Road, the march was blocked by a small group of local residents who brandished an Olympic flag and chanted back: “Up the Olympics!”

Diane Grieves, who lives on the street, said: “I’m delighted about the Olympics -- it’s really helped the area and brought everyone together. If there weren’t corporate sponsors then the Olympics would be even more expensive for taxpayers.”

Protester George Barda shouted “No to the corporate Olympics” while wearing a T-shirt highlighting the victims of the 1984 disaster at Bhopal chemical plant of the Union Carbide Company, which merged with Olympic sponsor Dow Chemical in 2001.

He was also wearing a pair of shoes and a backpack from Olympic sponsors Adidas.

Slideshow: Olympic Emotional Moments

Click for more from the 2012 summer games in London.

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“I’m just wearing these shoes out because I have nothing else left,” he explained to NBCNews.com. “I know I’m part of the problem for buying the products but the bigger issue here, which is much more important, is that the Olympics has been taken over by unethical corporate sponsors despite the fact that they only contribute five per cent of the cost of the Games.”

Among the others taking part was Dana Wojokh, from New Jersey, who was highlighting the plight of Circassians -- a Caucasian and Middle-Eastern mountain tribe that was the victim of genocide by imperial Russia at the end of the 19th century centered on Sochi, where Russia intends to host the 2014 Winter Olympics.

“This is our chance to tell the world what happened to Circassians -- oppression that is still happening, for example in Syria,” she said.

Slideshow: When the Olympics is your neighbor

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A diverse community in East London will welcome the world to Britain for the 2012 Olympic Games. Meet residents and hear how they feel about having a huge, world stage in their backyard.

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A spokesman for the London Organizing Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games told BBC News: “The Olympic Games is the biggest event in the world, and big events have always been a magnet for protests of all shapes and sizes; we have planned for this.

"We implore any protesters to consider the impact of any action on the athletes, most of whom have spent half their lives preparing for London 2012.

"We are a sport-loving nation, and ruining sporting events is not the way anyone wants London 2012 to be remembered."

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• Go behind the scenes with our 'TODAY in London' blog
  

Jim Seida / NBC News

Olympic Stadium can be seen in the background as partygoers watch the opening ceremonies on a massive LCD screen in East London.

Updated at 8:45 p.m. ET: STRATFORD, East London – For billions of people watching around the world, Friday night’s 2012 Olympic Games opening ceremony signaled the start of two weeks of sporting excitement.

But for nearby residents just outside the main Olympic Park — within earshot of the spectacular show, but separated by 11 miles of electric fence — the celebrations also marked the end of seven years of planning and redevelopment which has transformed the local area and made an impact on many lives.

Tens of thousands gathered in parks to watch the ceremony on giant screens, or hosted parties in apartments and backyards in the shadow of the stadium. Cheers erupted when British cycling hero Bradley Wiggins rang the bell to begin the display.

“For people living in this area, the Olympics isn’t just about these two weeks — they’ve been living with the anticipation and excitement for years — as well as the noise and disruption,” said Stephen McVeigh, deputy head of residential property at Genesis Housing, whose 700-home development includes a 43-story tower, Stratford Halo, under construction yards from the Games.

Brits rally around Games after Romney's Olympic gaffe

“It is incredible, but also a bit strange, to be so close to the excitement and the action, yet still watching on television.”

As McVeigh spoke to NBC News, the Royal Air Force display team — the Red Arrows — roared overhead, coating the urban skyline in red, white and blue trails that drew a huge cheer from nearby streets.

Although the tower is unfinished, workers and corporate guests gathered on the 38th floor from where the view included a section inside the stadium.

Jim Seida / NBC News

Workers and corporate guests watch the opening ceremonies from the 38th floor of Stratford Halo, a 43 story-housing tower still under development in Stratford, London, only a mile from Olympic Park.

Across the River Lea, southwest of the stadium in an industrial zone that has witnessed decades of decline, one local furniture factory decided to make the most of the event by clearing its workspace and yard and converting them into a giant temporary nightclub and bar complex called Fringe 2012.

Jim Seida / NBC News

A bartender pours a customer a glass of wine at one of the many bars in Fringe 2012, a factory turned nightclub just for the Games, on Friday in East London.

Inside, with the music from the ceremony drifting across the river, revelers who had paid up to 25 pounds ($39) cheered their favorite points in the ceremony — including the appearance of live cows and comic actor Rowan Atkinson (best known in America as Mr. Bean) — and joined the stadium crowd in singing the National Anthem, "God Save The Queen."

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“We decided this was a better business plan so we applied for a (liquor) license and put a giant screen and turned it into a place for people to feel part of the Olympic experience even if they couldn’t be in the ceremony or get tickets for the events," said Steve Black, whose family has made sofas on the site for generations.

Jim Seida / NBC News

Partygoers watch the opening ceremonies on a massive LCD screen at Fringe 2012.

“Hopefully this will change the area for good — this all used to be factories but soon it will be bars, restaurants, galleries," he said. "It’s a celebration for the area as much as for the opening of the Olympic Games.”

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Thousands packed into Victoria Park, about two miles west of the stadium, to watch the ceremony on big screens.

There was an ironic cheer when it began to rain, but the best reaction of the night came when a comedy skit depicted The Queen alongside James Bond actor Daniel Craig.

A major part of the show was an homage to the U.K.’s National Health Service, with nurses dancing and hospital beds arranged to spell out NHS and GOSH, for Great Ormond Street Hospital.

There was applause as performers, many of whom work for the NHS, passed through Stratford subway station still dressed in their stylized uniforms.

Christalene Alaart, originally from South Africa but now living in London and working at the NHS Royal Free Hospital, told NBC News that it had been “quite exciting, knowing there’s 3 billion people whose eyes would be on us, and 80,000 in the stadium.”

She added that her mother had been to see a rehearsal. “She was in tears, overwhelmed with what she saw, also that fact she was there and part of it,” Alaart said.

New Zealander Carina Burgess, 26, an NHS pharmacist in London, said it was “pretty cool to be given that much credit, for a whole segment to be dedicated to the NHS.”

And Annmarie Badchkam, 36, a midwife at London’s Homerton Hospital, said “it was definitely amazing ... thanks to Danny Boyle, it was an amazing experience.”

Dikaia Chatziefstathiou, an academic and expert on the Olympics at Canterbury Christ Church University in England, was among the dancers for part of the show featuring music from the 1980s and 1990s.

“It was extraordinary experience,” she said. “I wasn’t sure if I was dreaming or actually part of it.”

She said she regarded herself as a “critical friend” of the Olympics but said taking part in the ceremony had reminded her that the Games was a “big festival … a great festival.”

Professional opera singer Elinor Jane Moran, 31, from London, was among those dancing to current British hip hop music in the show – something she’d never done before and learned during the rehearsals.

She enthusiastically related how she had shaken hands with U.K. hip hop star Dizzee Rascal as he came on stage in an unscripted moment.

“I thought it was extraordinary,” she said of the show, “particularly the Industrial Revolution section and also the nurses were just wonderful.”

“The energy, the passion, was just extraordinary, I thought,” Moran added. “We’re very proud of it, very, very proud of it.”

Spectators were sporting flags from all over the world, from Australia to Brazil, Japan to Canada.

Yulia Semakima, 25, from Omsk, in Russia, who is studying law in London, was among those caught up in the mood of the moment.

“I’m not a big fan (of the Olympics), but now I feel like I’m becoming more and more enthusiastic about it,” she said, dressed in a Russia shirt and cap.

“I think we will be third (in the medal table) after China and then the U.S. I hope we can beat France and Germany,” she added.

Referring to a considerable amount of typically British moaning in the months ahead of the Games, she could not understand why Londoners did not seem “really to be impressed with this.”

One Briton who was definitely enjoying the Games was Lucy Chisholm, 44, from Twickenham, London, who was wearing British flags in her hair, on her T-shirt and had one painted on her cheek.

“I feel very patriotic at the moment. With everything that’s been going on in Britain, it’s been fantastic. We’ve had the (Queen’s) Jubilee and that really brought people together,” she said.

Chisholm said she hoped anyone who had complained about the Olympics “haven’t got tickets,” adding, “We’ve had so much moaning, but that’s what Britons do, isn’t it. Everybody should get together and embrace it.”

Jamaica supporter Richard Woodburn, 32, from London’s East End, was wearing a Jamaica sports shirt and proudly showed a picture on his cellphone of his house bedecked with Jamaican flags.

“They (Jamaica) are going to clean up in the athletics — 100 meters, 200 meters, 400 meters, 400 meters relay, men and women,” he said.

“The Games are here — just enjoy it. There’s so many people enjoying it,” he said gesturing to the crowd of thousands around him. “Just run with it.”

Mark Townsend, 46, who was born in Britain, grew up in Canada and whose wife Mariko is from Japan, was similarly upbeat, saying he hoped the Games slogan of “Inspire a Generation” would come true for his children, age 11 and 5.

“My 11-year-old daughter is going to play (soccer) for Canada, Japan or Britain,” he said.

Paul Meikle, a cub scout leader from Castle Rock, Northern Ireland, with a group of more than 40 cub scouts, explorers and adults, said the beginning of the Opening Ceremony was “really, really good” and “well put together.”

He welcomed the decision to start the ceremony with songs from the four parts of the United Kingdom — England, Scotland, Northern Ireland, and Wales — saying it was “inclusive of everyone.”

“It’s really, really exciting to be here,” Meikle said. “We’ve come across to spend the first couple of days of the events here.”

He said the scouts planned to watch the cycling road race Saturday, with Britain’s Mark Cavendish among the favorites to win.

At Forman’s Smokehouse, a family-run fish processing company that was forced to relocate to make way for the Olympic Park, managers transformed the forecourt into a spectacular temporary beach-themed bar complete with beach volleyball court, palm trees and champagne counter.

Jim Seida / NBC News

Anna Celeste Walters, left, has a toast with her friends Amy Loudon, center, and Alex Sinclair. They were three of about a thousand people who celebrated the opening ceremonies at Forman's Smokehouse, a family-run fish processing company in East London.

When Sir Paul McCartney performed "Hey Jude," the crowd mirrored those inside the stadium by singing along with their hands in the air.

“London is so buzzing at the moment, and the atmosphere here is incredible,” said Amy Loudon, 25, who traveled across London with her friends Anna Celeste Walters and Alex Sinclair to party nearer the Olympic site. “People seem to be in a much better mood now, after all the moaning.”

Gary Bott, 31, a construction worker, traveled two hours from the city of Cambridge in order to celebrate in London. He was unable to get into the public screening at Victoria Park because it was too crowded.

“It’s much better to be closer to the action, even if we’re watching on a screen,” he said. “There ceremony made us really proud to be British.”

Paco Lima, a 35-year-old soldier from Mexico, was also soaking up the atmosphere at Forman’s — and cheering on his country when Mexican athletes joined the parade.

“The ceremony was great — like a Hollywood production,” he said.

Among those performing in the spectacular show was dance student Jack Ludwig, 22. He told NBC News before the ceremony began: “I don’t think I’ll ever get to do anything like this in my lifetime again, so to be part of it is incredible.

“During rehearsals I was looking up at various spots in the crowd and thinking ‘that’s where the Queen will be sitting, that’s where all the world leaders will be.'”

NBC News' Jim Seida contributed to this report.

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LONDON – The bells were ringing across a green and pleasant Britain on Friday morning to celebrate the start of the Summer Olympics.

From Big Ben to the rusty clanger in our old village school, the noise of the bells could be heard for miles.

The only other sound you could clearly hear above them was that of crunching metal – the sound of a politician slamming his campaign car into reverse.

Republican presidential hopeful Mitt Romney came to the United Kingdom to launch an international charm offensive and ended up offending a nation.

On the face of it, his gently expressed doubts to NBC's Brian Williams about Britain's readiness to stage a successful Games were not particularly shocking.

Up until a few days ago, we'd been expressing doubts of our own.

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But now that the Games are officially kicking off, it's party time – and the art of a politician is to judge the mood of the public. And on this Romney – as we say over here – dropped a clanger all of his own.

"Mitt the Twit" screamed the headline in the popular tabloid The Sun. "Who invited party-pooper Romney?" asked the Daily Mail.

Suddenly, Romney-bashing became a new gold-medal event.

Read more Olympics coverage on NBC's TODAY in London blog

At a concert in London's Hyde Park, Mayor Boris Johnson threw Romney's comments right back at him like an Olympic shotput: "There's a guy called Mitt Romney who wants to know if we are ready," he asked the 60,000-strong crowd.

To a man, woman and child they shouted back, "Yes we are."

Slideshow: Venues for 2012 London Olympic Games

Oda / Getty Images

From Wimbledon to Wembley Stadium to The Dome, a look at the venues for the 2012 London Olympic Games.

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British Prime Minister David Cameron was also quick to jump to the country's defense, with a pointed comment sharper than a javelin: "We are holding an Olympic Games in one off the busiest, most active cities in the world. Of course it's easier if you hold an Olympic Games in the middle of nowhere."

"Nowhere," of course, meant Salt Lake City. Romney organized the 2002 Winter Olympics there.

Get the latest on London 2012 with NBC Olympics

There were other gaffes: Seemingly forgetting the Labour Party leader Ed Milliband's name and calling him – in a desperate, odd-sounding ad-lib – "Mr. Leader." Spilling the beans about a private meeting he'd had with the ultra-secretive boss of MI6, the British foreign intelligence service. That's one stop short of telling the Russians we're still spying on them.

Oh dear. It's all so different from the other presidential hopeful who visited Britain four years ago. On that occasion there was an air of excitement as Barack Obama charmed his way across London, not putting a foot wrong.

On this one, it feels like someone has tied Romney's shoelaces together.

But like all good politicians he bounced back. On NBC's TODAY on Friday morning he was gracious and warm in his support of the London Olympics – sticking to the script this time.

He can also take comfort in knowing that back home, there are many who will like him even more, just because the Brits like him less.

Ah yes, we may have a special relationship – an "Anglo-Saxon" heritage, as a Romney adviser curiously termed it before the visit. But that doesn't mean we can't throw the pots and pans at each other from time to time.

Slideshow: When the Olympics is your neighbor

A diverse community in East London will welcome the world to Britain for the 2012 Olympic Games. Meet residents and hear how they feel about having a huge, world stage in their backyard.

Launch slideshow

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