So that's it, a wrap from the Beijing Olympics.
Tomorrow morning is going to be a scramble to get packed and to the airport. I might post something if time permits from Seoul on how the mass exodus works out, but that would be the last true Olympic item, unless, after a little rest and reflection, I decide to come back for one more grand summing up.
But I plan to keep posting as opportunities permit during my Australian vacation -- mainly for the benefit of family and friends, but certainly for anyone else who wants to keep following along. It certainly won't be multiple posts every day, but it is, after all, a vacation.
Strictly by coincidence, my itinerary on my full 40-day journey is almost entirely Summer Olympic cities, at least in terms of flight destinations: Los Angeles, Seoul, Beijing, Sydney and Melbourne. (The one exception is Launceston, Tasmania, which is not likely to land the Games any time soon.)
And it wasn't the reason I planned the Australian vacation -- mainly it was an opportunity to get back to a place I really liked at a relatively low cost -- but I eventually realized that it took me full circle. My first Olympics was the Sydney Games in 2000; given the rapidly changing state of the newspaper industry, many of us here fear the Beijing Games will be our last.
I certainly hope that's not the case, but if does close the circle -- the five rings, as it were, with the Sydney, Salt Lake, Athens, Turin and Beijing Games -- well, it's been an amazing journey.
Hope you enjoyed this part of it.