In lieu of the Olympic craze, I thought I'd write about my experience of visiting Olympic Park in Beijing, home of the 2008 Olympic Games.
A few miles away from the city center, it thankfully is still accessible via metro.
Never mind the fact that it took us nearly an hour to find the right metro line.
Never mind the fact that Beijing metro maps have lines that aren't yet in existence.
Never mind the fact that you have to push and shove to get a spot in the metro.
Never mind the fact that when you're in the metro everyone stares at you, and they don't stop either.
When you do finally arrive, you are welcomed by a vast empty area of concrete, and in the distance you see the stadiums where Olympic history were made...
You know that yellow hue in the photo? No my camera wasn't dirty. It's called pollution, and unfortunately China has a lot of it. That huge web of metal is called The Bird's Nest. The stadium was designed specifically for the Olympic games. It cost a whooping $423 million dollars to build, and holds 91,000 people. It hosted a variety of events including the amazing Beijing opening ceremony, and track and field events. It is now open to tours daily.
How can you forget the Water Cube, where 25 world records were broken during the 2008 Olympics. It's also the place where Michael Phelps rocked it and won 8 gold medals.
Oh, and those bodies....those bloody hot bodies. Mmmmm. Did I just say that outloud?
Near the Bird's Nest is a huge statue symbolizing the Olympic Torch.
Even if you aren't a big fan of the Olympics, you can't help but love the spirit and dedication some of these individuals possess, and how they are able to push the human body to do exceptional things.
Am I the only one that has to have a box of kleenex nearby when hearing the inspiring stories that some of these athletes have to endure to make it to the games? Or maybe that's just the effect Bob Costas has on me?
One of these days I hope to attend the Olympic games. Until then I will have to continue my tradition of gluing myself to the TV screen from the comforts of home.
Will you be watching the Olympics this year?
4 comments:
Beijing Olympic park looks great and how cool to have wandered around it.
I too find the athletes incredibly inspirational and there dedication should be commended. To me, even if they don't win, to have got that far, they really are all winners.
If I were a parent, I would be so happy to have a child make it to the olympics, medal or not.
I saw a really interesting photo essay the other day about what happens to Olympic structures long after the Olympics are over. I'm happy to see that the ones in Beijing are still attracting tourists; the ones in some of the other host cities looked like ghost towns. It's so eerie to see after just returning from the London Olympics and the hoards of people!
Most of the people touring the Beijing Olympic Park were other Chinese people....considering China has over a billion people, I think it will be getting visitors for years to come.
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