Rain, Rain GET LOST! Please.

For the second Saturday in a row we have had terrible weather, but that has never stopped us from going out before. Yesterday we hopped on the subway and took line 8 out to the OLYMPIC PARK!! So 8 is a lucky number in China and the Chinese were really not screwing around in their preparations for the Olympics. Not only did they host the 2008 Olympics, but they completed construction of the Bird's Nest on August 8th and they build subway line 8 to carry all the traffic to and from the stadium. I'm sure there were more 8's out and about, but these are the ones that we noticed right away. Despite the terrible weather (consistent rain, bitter wind, freezing temperatures almost resulting in snow flurries), Zoe, Caroline, and I spent several hours wandering around the unbelievably expansive Olympic Park. The two buildings we actually paid to go inside were the Bird's Nest and the Water Cube. Let me just say that I had seen pictures of the Bird's Nest and I watched the opening ceremony on television, but none of that prepared me for the undiluted awe I experienced while standing right before the entrance. Not only was the Bird's Nest much, much bigger than I ever would have expected, but I had been under the impression that the stadium was named the "Bird's Nest" stadium because of its exterior design when in fact the design is carried over into the interior as well. It is hard to explain, so I'll post a ton of pictures. All the interior pillars and structures were built at extreme angles and the entire stadium is open to the air and elements. You never actually walk through a door to enter the stadium, you simple walk through the fibers that make the bird's actual nest and then you are within the tangle of steel pillars. It is just breath-taking. I really did not expect to be so impressed. Everything is just so massive, but with China you expect everything on a bigger scale. This stadium was so amazing because it was more than the size that took the words out of my mouth. It was the grace of the building, the clean lines, the rich colors, the whole composition looked like it belonged on a painting but it was a painting you could walk through and touch.