Opening Ceremonies

Yesterday we headed to the Opening Ceremonies. The pride in the people of Beijing was in full display and certainly infectious.

On our way out to the Opening Ceremonies, we headed out to the buses that would take us to the Olympic Stadium. I took this photo below which really shows you the level of smog in the city.

We headed on the buses to attend the Opening Ceremonies. Below is a photo of the ticket to the event.

The people of Beijing lined the streets on the way to Olympic Stadium. They waved and cheered with pride.
After we exited the buses, we were at the Bird's Nest. You can see from the photo of my father and myself why they call the stadium the Bird's Nest.

As I mentioned in my previous post, the architecture of some of the buildings here in Beijing is spectacular. The photo below is of one of their newer buildings located adjacent to Olympic Stadium. Suffice it to say, I have never seen a building like this in Canada.

I also mentioned in my previous post the omnipresent nature of military and police in Beijing. Here are two photos I
took as we prepared to enter the Bird's Nest for the Opening Ceremonies that serve to illustrate this point.

Once we entered the stadium, we were located in what is known as the Olympic Family Area. This is the area in which family members of the IOC, the NOC's and distinguished guests of the IOC are seated. One thing that I did not fully appreciate prior to attending the Games is just how much they are about big business. One example is Coca-Cola -one of the major Olympic Partners. Below is a photo of their concession stand located in the Olympic Stadium where they give away all their products for free.

We then moved to our seats. I asked one of the ushers to take this photo of my father and myself prior to the opening of the ceremonies.

Below is a photo that represents our view from our seats.

The humidity in Beijing in general, and in the stadium in particular, is intense. It takes some getting used to. Any athlete competing outdoors will require some adjustment. I would think that it will certainly be a factor in these Games. Just staying properly hydrated is an issue.

Once the ceremonies began, it was truly a once in a lifetime experience. The crowd was so alive with energy, and the show itself was spectacular. I am not sure how it came across on television, but in person, the opening sequence with the drums was quite the spectacle and one of the most impressive things I have ever seen. I thought that the Organizing Committee and the Chinese people did a magnificent job of producing an impressive show that highlighted some of their truly unique culture.

When Canada entered the stadium, they received quite a loud and warm reception from the crowd. I was surprised frankly at how warm the reception was, because based on the Canadian media's reporting over the past few years, I thought our relations with China were somewhat cool. Whether or not that is the case, the people of China were certainly happy to see our country at the Games. I only have the one picture below because I mostly filmed the entrance of the Canadian team.

Below is a photo of Switzerland as they entered the stadium. Their flag bearer is Rodger Federer.

I would say that along with Canada, the countries that received in the largest ovations were France, North Korea and the United States.

Without a doubt, the place became electric when China entered the stadium. I was thinking at the time that this was truly a historic moment. As IOC President Jacques Rogue stated in his Opening Ceremonies speech, China has waited 100 years to host an Olympic Games, and this was certainly their coming out party to the world.

The ceremony was long, lasting well over 4 1/2 hours, but I am certainly not complaining. After the ceremonies were over, we loaded back on to the buses to head back to the hotel. Our bus was sparsely populated, but we had one important co-traveler: Dr. Henry Kissinger. Considering that we are in China, and that he was the architect of the detente and rapprochement policies of the Nixon Administration (and later the Ford Administration) in the 1970's towards the People's Republic of China, I thought that was an interesting coincidence. I asked him when we disembarked whether I could take a photo with him, and he kindly obliged.

As for today, I will be doing some sight seeing in Beijing. I am going to walk over to Tiananmen Square and see what it is like to walk around that area in person. Hope you all have a great weekend back home.