The fate of our Paris Olympic experience was always in question. It was widely known that Parisians would be leaving town. The games were taking place during the traditional summer holidays, when all the beautiful people normally leave. Only the workers and the tourists would remain, and this year there would be many of each. There would be no Paris Plage, the fake beach along the Seine for those left behind. The entire program for Bastille Day (July 14th) was rearranged to accommodate the work on the Olympics. We wondered whether to stay or go back to Spokane.
For the city of Paris, there were bigger consequences. Olympic host cities usually lose money. France had already been running a deficit it could little afford. How could the city and the country improve things to put France in its best light? From my limited perspective, it looked like they chose to improve public transportation to serve all the venues, invest in Saint Denis, one of the poorest communities in France, clean up the Seine for swimming, and use the iconic venues of Paris and best facilities in all of France to host the many, many competitions. No problem – Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo said she would swim in the Seine to prove to the world that it was safe.
upgrades along our street
Thus, for well over a year, France had been on an almost frantic mission to prepare for the games. Metro lines were extended so that the existing networks could serve all the major venues. The Olympic Village was built on an island at Saint-Denis (the above photo was taken as we sped along in a taxi to the airport), and a new aquatics center was built at another Saint-Denis location. Over 400km of bike lanes were developed to permit easy travel between venues. Every street seemed to be torn up to permit some sort of improvement.
The opening ceremony was a parade of boats on the Seine, and the triathlon started there too. There was basketball in Lille, soccer in Marseilles, surfing in Tahiti. One could see the Olympics not only at Stade de France (track and field), but at Parc des Princes (soccer), at Bercy Arena (basketball and gymnastics), at the Grand Palais (fencing), at the Eiffel Tower (beach volleyball), at l’Esplanade des Invalides (archery, cycling), at the Paris Convention center (volleyball), at Place de la Concorde (BMX and 3 on 3 basketball), at the Aquatics Center at Saint-Denis (water polo, diving), at the Paris La Defense arena at Nanterre (swimming), at le Grand Palais Ephemère (wrestling), at Stade Roland-Garros (Tennis), and at Versailles (equestrian events). The rugged marathon course started at Hôtel de Ville, wound through the city and then to Versailles, and finished at the Esplanade des Invalides. The road cycling course extended east to the Bois de Vincennes and back.
In addition to all the public improvements, Paris needed this ingredient: it must be French. French means that when you buy six wonderful chocolates, the guy spends 15 minutes putting them in a box, wrapping them, and tying the most perfect ribbon you’ve ever seen. French means that the national orchestra must play, but also that every other aspect of society must show up in their best artistic representation. French means that all of French history must be honored. To be French must also showcase the marvels of Paris. So, well, those guys had their work cut out for them.
A French policeman friend of ours was assigned to guard against terrorism. The police were very worried by what they saw as the threat of a terrorist act. They were worried about not having enough forces, and that they might have to move the opening ceremony to a more secure venue.
The scope of what took place was enormous. There were 45,000 volunteers and 35,000 police. Large temporary arenas were erected at numerous iconic sites. An enormous system of temporary barriers was constructed around all of the event sites, but also it had to be portable so that barriers could be rearranged to support events like the opening ceremony, the marathon and road biking. For two weeks before the opening ceremony, barriers were in place. Most locations near event sites and along the Seine required either an event ticket or a special QR code (such as for residents) to enter within the security zone. A larger, more flexible zone surrounded the high security zone. All motorized vehicles required a QR code to enter this flexible zone, which included the area around our apartment. We had to navigate numerous security boundaries that changed from day-to-day with the events, sometimes having to walk home late at night from the security perimeter because our taxi could go no further.
We came back to Paris at the end of May, and there were other things for us to do than plan for the Olympics. We met Australian friends in Bologna, Italy, in June. Our best French friend’s daughter’s wedding (in heavy rain) took place south of Paris just after the opening ceremony. Brenda left for a holiday in Sicily with friends before the end of the games.
So the Olympics for us was not an all-out experience. We had to pick and choose. We chose to watch some things on TV: the opening ceremony – quel amour (despite the rain)! We went to events near us: beach volleyball at the Eiffel Tour, volleyball at the Paris Convention Centre. I was there on at the barriers for both men’s and women’s marathons. What pain – how hard that must be! We could connect to either American or French TV. We celebrated both French and American victories. One day I was able to meet an old friend from our days in high school, college, and our early working years. I hadn’t seen him for more than 20 years.
The games passed by quickly. Both French and American teams celebrated numerous successes, for the French I think more than they thought possible. As events progressed, the games turned into a joyous celebration. Despite the many misgivings, France and Paris had pulled it off, a well-organized, well-executed Olympic games.
If this sounds surprising, I can only say that the Paris Olympics were a discovery for France. They were the champions ! They surprised the entire world with a unique display of culture, art, and athletic performance. We were, in retrospect, so happy to be here and to have witnessed this event that exceeded all expectations.
So happy that you were able to experience the Olympics and share it with the rest of us. I watched it all and was thoroughly impressed!
Merci Sara! Hope all is well with you and with Ron.
Thanks for the review of the ParisOlympics from your views! We also enjoyed watching the athletes- amazing abilities!!
Merci Gayle !
Thanks for giving us your birds eye view. We have taped most of the events and are still marching thru them. Nice job Paris and France.
Ann
Merci Ann – There was an overwhelming amount to see.
Wonderful read. Thank you for sharing a great experience for both of you.
Merci Jane !
So interesting to read your story, Hugh! Can’t imagine the complexity of planning the Olympics in a city such as Paris! . Sounds like Paris pulled it off and you and Brenda to be experiencing. It must’ have been amazing.
Merci Margene ! It’s all quiet here now, but all the infrastructure is still in place and will be used for the Paralympics starting on August 28th.
Well done . . You two have definitely become Frendh
Karl Ostheller
Merci Karl ! It’s good to hear from you. Brenda and I hope all is going well.
What a wonderful recap from Paris. Your insight and photos were excellent. What an inspiration.
Merci Meredith, most of my worries were about how to make the blocks editor work with photos – still a bit of a mystery for me. Your reportage about your ongoing sailing adventure caused me to think that I should post more often to our own site.
Stunning photos, Hugh.And a great story of your games. Paris outdid themselves with some of the most beautiful venues in the world’s history. The French made it dazzle and shine.
Merci Grant ! You could see how both the athletes and the spectators realized that they were part of something much bigger than themselves, something they were proud to witness and be part of.
Well done, Hugh. I really only heard positive things about the wonderful job Paris did with all facets of the Olympics. I loved that they made such beautiful use of their existing icons and didn’t try going all “modern”. I would bet the Parisians that left now wish they had stayed.
Merci Sherry ! I agree completely with you, though of course there some who took offense to aspects of the opening and closing ceremonies. There probably should have been a manual that people could study to understand some the ceremonial allusions used to express the history of the Olympics or the history of France. I couldn’t figure out why they sang “My Way” at the closing ceremony. I didn’t know the singer, who is a French star. The music to the 1969 Sinatra song was adapted from a 1967 French song by Claude François with completely different lyrics. It was a way of passing the torch from Paris to Los Angeles for the 2028 Games. Most of the Olympics set up will remain in place here for the Paralympics, which run from August 28 to Sept 8. So despite no crowds and no competition, I keep getting this reminder that there is this big event.
You should know that the reaction from the press in the US was highly favorable. As in: we will never see anything like those Olympics again. I was pleased to see progress at the Cathedral of Notre Dame. No events were scheduled there but I loved the acrobatics performed off the scaffolding during the opening ceremonies..
We also liked how the anonymous torch bearer covered many monuments along his/her path to get to the Eiffel Tour. While I have no inside information about this, in my mind the decision to rebuild Notre Dame exactly as it was before (thus cutting short all the suggestions for design modifications after it burned) was aimed at having the work completed before the Olympics. Unfortunately, they couldn’t make that schedule. Re-opening is scheduled for early December. Still, the Olympic opening ceremony offered an opportunity to show the world that the restoration is well along – sort of an invite to check back later.
Ah Hugh, it is always a delight to receive a note from you, especially one with such historical importance! Thank you for sharing with all of us what you experienced and all of us were able to see glimpses. Hope you and Brenda are well!! All my best,
Chuck
Merci Chuck ! We are expecting another remarkable opening ceremony tomorrow night when the Paralympics begin. Unlike the fleet of boats floating down the river, the Paralympics Opening Ceremony will be in the huge square at Place de la Concorde. We were by there yesterday, but it’s difficult to see exactly how things will unfold. The Champs Elysée appears to be featured – a big section was closed to public access. Plus there are two big stadiums in the square that may play a part. Stay tuned! As always, it’s good to hear from you. Hope you and Dabney are doing well.
Good to get your update- I had assumed you’d been hacked so didn’t even look at your February post explanation! I thought of you 2 often during the Olympics- so glad you were able to be there! That was the best opening EVER! Paris really shined, as did young Leon. We are off to Scotland but look forward to reconnecting.
Bonjour Maureen ! So good to hear from you, and we agree with your assessment about how the Olympics fared. We too look forward to reconnecting.