The Olympics are coming to a close on Sunday. The 2012 games are going to have some big shoes to fill. We’ve seen biting, babes, and pitiful boxing matches. We’ve seen black boxers (shorts, that is; thank you stupid soccer rules) and boobs. We’ve seen spoil sports, hissy fits, and triumphs. But we haven’t seen what the athletes have seen. We’ve seen the interiods of dozens of Beijing buildings, but we haven’t seen Beijing itself.

All things considered, we probably would have been better off with a tour. Enjoy a virtual one featuring Beijing’s best, -

The Forbidden City itself, evocative and mysterious for more reasons than its intriguing name.

The National Grand Theater and the Great Hall of the People — more commonly known as the Eggshell.

The Great Wall of China.

The National Indoor Stadium, home of the gymnastics’ competitions.

The Noah’s Ark Sand Sculpture Park, home to over 100 sand sculptures.

The Shenyang Olympic Sports Center Stadium.

The Beijing Institute of Technology Gymnasium, where the volleyball tournaments took place.

The Temple of Heaven — need I say more?

The National Aquatics Center, better known as the Water Cube and truly spectacular, no matter what you call it.