Friendlies or Fuwa (as they are called in Chinese) are every where.
In case you are not familiar with the 5 mascots they each represent one of the five rings along with each standing for one of five Chinese blessings and imitating 4 animals special to China the 5th imitating the flame. Their names spell in Chinese Welcome to Beijing (bei jing huan ying ni). The blue one is a fish, the black one is a panda, the red one is the flame, the yellow one is an antelope, and the green one is a bird.


Crowds were out all taking pictures.




The water cube.
Count down clocks have been placed around the country and have been counting down for over two years! This one shows 7 days to go.


Both of these buildings are phenomenal in design and have become an icon of the Beijing Games.
The water cube is even more impressive at night when it lights up with different colors.
Not only does this building resemble a bird's nest but it also looks similar to China's dynasty window designs seen at places like the Summer Palace, and to the crackle finished pottery found in China.


But so far- the best thing about the Olympics being here are the tickets I have to events!
I am excited to get to be apart of the sports, the hype, and the buildings.