Week 6 - End of the Games, Swimming, Beach

The European Games wrapped up this week. The events were just as minimally attended as ever, but the swimming finals were phenomenal to watch. The closing ceremonies were rather uneventful, but were accompanied for a ridiculously large firework show over the Caspian Sea, lighting up the whole city.

            Earlier I commented on the abundance of fish in the water along the waterfront park, Park Boulevard. Throughout the games, I noticed their population get thinner and thinner and finally, with the conclusion of the games, disappear completely. With the end of the games, and the disappearance of the fish, came back the thin film of oil on the water. Now that all the diplomats and cameras are gone, it’s back to the same old routine.

            Work is still a little slow. Despite the games actually not being too big of a hit, the city is still closing roads and leading people to believe they are a pretty big deal. As a result, the city is quite and so is work. A lot of our contracts and projects in the regions were put on hold during this period, so travel activities have been minimal during this time. I have continued my work in legal research, preparing documents to present to various government councils and entities.