Athletics on Tuesday Evening

Yes, this bird has been to the 'Nest! After purchasing a single (class A!) ticket for, ehm, black market money, and after a crowded U-Bahn odyssey, I proudly stepped on to the Olympic Green and finally began to feel like the Olympics are really happening. The Olympic Green is the area that comprises the famed Bird's Nest and Watercube venues as well as the National Indoor Stadium, Hockey and Archery fields. It's a massive area, and it was full of people of all possible nationalities. Japanese, Lithuanian, British, Romanian, German and Swedish were only some of the flags I spotted. On the agenda for the evening were various mens and womens races (5000m, 400m and 200m with Usain Bolt) as well as mens highjump, mens 110m hurdles (though, alas, no Liu Xiang!) and mens disc throw (cooooool!)

The stadium appeared to have been sold out, and about half an hour into the events all seats were filled and the place was packed. The atmosphere was great, and I let out the Japanese in me, taking over a hundred photos until the battery gave in on me.

The events were scheduled to take from 19h to 22:40, but I left at ten, sweaty and tired from the heat and all the photography, and happy to have been a part of this big event. Find some of my pictures below.

Himself is coming over tonight for a long weekend, and it looks like the two of us may just be able to get tickets for another couple of events (one of which may just be the closing ceremony, but nothing's confirmed yet). That'll be some pictures! Poor battery.

Bis dann,

Nadine

There is it, in all its beauty!

Even all these people werent' able to hide the Watercube behind them.

Line-up for the womens 400m.. or was it 200m?

Gut gesoffen ist halb gewonnen!

A medal ceremony for one of Monday's events- of course my seat was on the wrong side!

Another womens race

Ja, wo laufen sie denn?

Mens high jump

This was our high jumper- like any respectable German, he lost miserably.

Mens 110m hurdles

A big old fella spinning around to throw a heavy old disc. Quite majestic indeed.