Last Day in the Salt Mines

Before I went to the Olympic Stadium for my last shift at Athletics I spent the morning and early afternoon with my Brazilian friend Renaldo. We went along the Boulevarde Olympico beside Guanabara Bay. There were many people out strolling and looking at the sights including the Olympic Flame. During the day the picture is dull but I have a more interesting night shot:



The area also has a big bandstand that features a variety of entertainment.

After that we went to the Columbus Cafeteria. It too was crowded with lunch time diners and is an interesting spot and quite historical in Rio. Deen asked if I had the famous pastry. As I did not , it must not be all that famous.




After lunch I left Renaldo and headed out to the Olympic Stadium. Saturday evening was the last of the Athletics events and there was a big crowd there to view the competitions, all finals. We were quite busy with the testing of Gold medal winners and in some cases of visually impaired athletes, their guides. Watching a runner with a guide like that is very impressive.

When it was all done the group celebrated. This group was an international cast of characters featuring people from Brazil, Columbia, Serbia, Germany, Australia, and Canada. We got along amazingly well and the common language of work was English. You can see us all enjoying a post game cup of beer that one of the Brazilians brought in.



It was another late night getting back to the hotel but overall it was a very satisfying experience.