Beijing Olympic Park

After much debate between my inner coach and my inner eager beaver runner, it was decided that I shouldn't run in Beijing. The humid and hazy air is impossible to breathe and the on and off cough that I had in Shanghai is now pretty much a constant fixture here in Beijing.

I was still able to do some athlete related activities by visiting the Olympic Park! The famous bird's nest
The building where gymnasts plied their trade
The water cube, which was closed, so no swimming in the same waters as Ryan Cochrane and Michael Phelps
I had seen these lights on TV, but let me tell you they are massive and impressive. The speakers were looping the theme song non stop. I used to think it was a great song and loved it, now I don't want to come near it!
I think this is the entrance where marathoners came to the stadium.
The bird's nest was open for visit (for a hefty 50 yuan, about 8 dollars). It looks like it was hosting a car racing event not too long ago, they were busy taking down the asphalt laid over the tracks.
The architecture of the building is impressive to say the least
This is probably the kind of seat I could have afforded if I went to the events :)
This tower is familiar for anyone who watched the games on TV.
The market and sunken garden were sadly empty and looked completely abandoned.
Because of the haze, we didn't visit the forest park or other installations outside the core buildings.

Hopefully when I am back in Canada in about a week, I won't have any lasting long term effect of the respiratory difficulties I am experiencing in China and can get back to my training schedule quickly.