The Bird's Nest and Cube were the first things we saw when we got to Beijing. It was pretty close to our hotel and a big priority, so we wanted to tackle it first. I'm not going to lie, we were super impressed with the Nest. I know it sounds cheesy, but we got goosebumps when we saw it and again when we went inside.
It was sooo cool being on the grounds. They have a building that has pictures and video of the games as well as the process of building the facilities. Everyone remembers the Beijing opening ceremonies and the drums, the first glimpse of the Nest and Cube. Plus remembering Bolt and Phelps and the incredible games they had. It was trippy being at the exact location of where it all happened. Seeing the track that the Bolt dominated on, seeing the pool that Phelps broke records. I remember us just sitting inside the nest and watching clips from the Olympics that were playing on the screen and imagining what it would have been like to be in that stadium at the time. It was really amazing. It was almost like there was this weird energy surrounding the facilities - it just felt so peaceful and calm. Okay, I know I sound lame, but we were really impressed with the grounds. Arnold even said that the Birds Nest is his favorite modern building.
One thing that I was a bit disappointed in, was the upkeep of the Cube. You know how militant the Chinese were and are about the Olympics and their image, so I was shocked to see the Cube looking less then perfect. The competition pool and diving area are in perfect condition but the concourse and bathrooms are really run down - crazy considering that the building is only a couple years old. Now, I know that it's high traffic there, but I think they need to do a better job with the upkeep. I didn't know this until we went, but one side of the cube is a gigantic water park - so it is always busy and I think the reason for the wear and tear, but either way, they need to clean that up haha. Just my thoughts.
Okay, enough with the Olympics, but if you ever have the chance to see it, we highly recommend it. Now onto something funny. While we were on our tour, our guide told us something that was pretty funny. When Chinese want to get married and want to marry a "pretty" girl from Beijing they need to provide her with gifts. In the 80's they had to buy her a bike, a watch and a sewing machine. In the 90's they had to buy her a fridge, a washing machine, and a "color" TV (black and white isn't cutting it). And in the 00's they have to buy them a house, a car and an AC unit. haha ooh how times have changed - the have a lot of expectations now a days. A watch is no longer an acceptable gift. We thought the gifts in the 80's and 90's were funny. It was like "here is a watch so you know when I get home for dinner - it better be ready, here is a bike so you can bike to the store to buy me food (and stay in shape), and here is a sewing machine so you can make me clothes" haha I'm not sure if that's actually what happened, but that's what I think they were for ;)
I have one more random post about China coming, but I think that covers most of the big things. We are currently in Korea and LOVIN' it. I might not want to come home ;) haha. I definitely have some good stories about our Korean adventure coming.
Love Melissa and Arnold
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