A few days ago, I decided to go and see the Olympic Stadium (AKA the Birds Nest) and the National Aquatic Center (AKA The Water Cube) from the recent games here in China. Both of these building have been near the top of my list of sites.
My adventurous spirit made me decide that instead of taking a cab, which are very cheap....usually no more than $3-4 bucks to get anywhere, I would brave, and try to master, the subway. This would be a good trip to do it with since, according to the subway map, I would have to change
trainlines 4 times.
So I set out, subway map in hand, to get to the destination. According to the local company helping us, this was to be a 30 min subway trip. Of course, they did not take into account that I would misread the signs and go the wrong way on the first train. Or even that I would
accidentally exit one of the transfer stations and end up having to buy another ticket to get back in and find the right line.
But an hour and 15 minutes later, I was exiting the subway tunnel of the the
Olympic park stop. It was weird, but I was feeling strangely exhilarated! I
felt like I was in a competition myself. Me against the Beijing Subway system, and although the game was rough...I was emerging victorious! A huge smile crossed my face as I ascended to the open air, and right smack in front of me was the Birds Nest......
And it was even more spectacular than I remembered it looking on TV.
The funniest part, that
coincided with my feeling of
accomplishment, was that there were all these speakers in the courtyard, and they were blaring that "One World One Dream" song (that was always playing on NBC during the games) while I walked up to the building. Totally cheesy, but a very moving moment for me. Let me explain....
Since I was a kid, I have been obsessed with the Olympics and all the hoopla. I always buy into the corny inspirational commercials and the heartwarming
backstories of the
athletes. So I let it slide when a small tear welled up inside of me as I took in these stadiums for the first time.
One other little tidbit about touring around this area....the staring was worse here than it has been anywhere else in Beijing so far. EVERYONE was looking at me! Now, as I have been told, most
Beijingers are used to seeing Western people since the Olympics. But the difference here is that a lot of the
people walking around the stadiums would be tourists from other parts of China. It was very possible that I was the first non-
Asian person they had ever seen. There were even people taking my picture, and a few who wanted to pose with me.
It was hilarious. After this happen a few times, I was then giving them my camera to get a picture of us together also. Very fun!
So here are some pics.......Enjoy.
As you can see, it is very cold here.
One of my new friends who wanted to get a picture of me. By the by, everyone here does a peace sign when they get their picture taken with an American. For some reason, the Chinese think that all Americans give each other peace signs all the time.
Another new friend. Another peace sign.
A close up of the design.
The gratuitous Vanna White picture.
The Water Cube.
Me and the Water Cube.
The watching tower between the two buildings. Apparently this is where the super important people watched the Olympic goings on from.
Stay tuned for more pics of the Olympic stuff. Since I didn't have a chance to tour the inside on this particular day, I will have to go back and do that. Can't wait!
