Olympic Village and other sights around Beijing

Like yesterday's post, this one was put into the draft section, also. So to remedy this, let's take one last look at Beijing. It's a pretty amazing site. 

Beijing had wanted to put its best foot forward to the world for the Olympics. And even after. It's a city filled with both the west and the east. After a supper that had included the Peking Duck, which I described in a 
previous post, we drove down to the Olympic Village. 
On the way to supper, while still daylight, we passed it. 

This is the National Stadium, or Bird's Nest, as our guide called it.

As we exited supper, we looked up and this is what we saw. This is the Olympic Park Observation Tower. Like most buildings in the park, their lights change colour. It's not opened yet, but our guide said it looked like nails. I say it looks like intake valves from an internal combustion engine, but that's the mechanic in me coming out. Look carefully at the photo above and below, and you can see blue streaks in the air. They are lighted kites flying really high. They were amazing and my photos don't do them justice. That's one thing I've started to notice - the architecture here in China. 

Night comes early this time of year, which is good because the sights of the village are well lit and beautiful. I was exhausted, and running on no sleep for the last three days. Jet Lag had done me in, so I was thankful it was still early when we stopped at a busy street and pedestrian overpass on which to view the village. And as like anywhere in China, there are the crowds. 
This is the Aquatic Centre with the Bird's Nest in the background. It cycles through various colours, and is made of giant pillow like bubbles along a steel frame. While it looks like a mattress to me, it's meant to look like water cube. Regardless of what we see, it's a brilliant design.

Even though I am so exhausted, and I feel like I am losing my sanity, I am in awe. The night is warm, the buildings brilliant, and the crowds appreciative. I know I need sleep more, but I can't help but stare. Even across the street the building's top looks like the Olympic Torch. It's the Pangu Plaza. Again, some say it's a fire-breathing dragon, but I say it's a torch in the wind. I guess architecture is more like art, in the beholder's eye.

And speaking of eyes, tomorrow we get a bird's eye view of a structure some say can be seen from space. We discover the truth.