No apologies for more pictures than usual. I think we can all agree that the city of Paris topped the final medal table.
As Le Monde recently put it, the French are on holiday - only this year they are on holiday from themselves! Well, certainly in Paris anyway. After weeks, nay months, of speculation over all the things that could go wrong with the start of the Olympic Games the only thing that did go horribly wrong was the weather as the heavens opened on the parade. Oh, and someone blew up all the signal boxes on the high speed rail links into Paris. I don’t think anyone yet knows who did this - maybe Putin?
OK the opening ceremony wasn’t for everyone but then isn’t that what happens when you try and create a spectacle for every interest and every part of society. Paris must be applauded for reaching for the stars and trying something completely French and different. The closing ceremony was more traditional and as usual a bit weird until Tom Cruise abseiled into the stadium and we TV viewers were whisked off to Venice Beach, Red Hot Chilli peppers and Billie Eilish. A taste of the Hollywood sparkle to come in 4 years time no doubt. They will have to go some to improve on Paris - I doubt any of us can think of an iconic downtown landmark in the city of angels apart from the Hollywood sign. Just take it all to Venice Beach and let the views do the rest.
We had finally decided to get to Paris if only for 36 hours. The TGV was cheaper than it normally is - even at the last minute - and the fabulous Bob Hotel near Monparnasse was offering bed and breakfast at a knockdown rate. Paris seemed suspiciously quiet as we walked from Bob to the Eiffel Tower. Vast upscale residential areas had all decamped en masse to their ‘residences secondaires’ on the Ile de Ré or in deepest Normandy. Where was everyone? Things started to buzz as we approached the temporary Olympic sites for the judo and the never ending beach volley ball. I love beach volley ball at the Olympics - it’s of no interest to anyone apart from those in the stadium who get a once in a life time view of the city and all the teams seem to play each other endlessly with no competitive structure at all. Olympic marketing at its very best. I remember sitting atop the beach volleyball stadium on HorseGuards Parade during the London Olympics thinking I will never get to see this view ever again. The Trocadero - where the previous days medallists can parade and party with the crowd. The skateboarding in the middle of Place de la Concorde. The Champs Elysées free of traffic. ALL of central Paris free of traffic with people walking, running, cycling in a vision of the city that Mayor Ann Hidalgo cherishes. A River Seine that didn’t look particularly welcoming but was at least swimmable in. How things have moved on since the sorry sight of the Covid afflicted Tokyo Olympics. Poor Japan got none of the benefits of the once in a century visit of the 5 rings but all of the costs.
The people of Paris obviously all received the ‘be nice to foreigners’ memo from the Mayor. Those who chose to ignore it all left for the Ile de Ré and those who stayed bought into it big time. As we were looking at a map outside a metro station a chap on a mono bike stopped to ask us if we needed help. This never happens in Paris. Approaching a restaurant assuming the request for a table would be Non we were greeted with the sit where you like response. This never happens in Paris - even when the restaurant is empty. But then business wasn’t great for hoteliers and restaurants in the absence of the regular tourist business. Pretty much everyone in the city was there for a sporting reason and this created a very special atmosphere. Ultimately the gold medal will go the city of Paris for looking so stunningly beautiful for 2 weeks having paid the price for a downpour during the opening ceremony. The Chinese see this as good luck and so it has proved with nothing but sunshine and blue skies for 2 weeks.
Away from the main Olympic sites you would not have known the Olympic circus was in town. Not a hint of Olympic fever - in fact nowhere else in France really. This has very much been a games for the River Seine and adjacent sites and that’s a pity. No bunting or big screens up in our village or indeed anywhere that we have driven through. In our suburban loveliness of Pernety in Paris the only hints of something special were the helpful volunteers downstairs in the Metro station. In my old area of the Marais the owner of the Sancerre bar said it was quieter than ever apart from the occasional medal celebration. Then Michael Johnson walked in trying ever so discreetly not to be Michael Johnson despite having one of the most recognisable faces in sport. I couldn’t resist asking him who of Kerr of Ingebritsen was going to win that evening’s 1500m mens final. He said he really didn’t know. And he was right as an unknown American crept in to beat both the pre race favourites. I told our waitress that she had the great Michael Johnson in her restaurant and she was thrilled. She thought Michael Jackson had died long ago. She obviously hadn’t received the memo.
And so Paris and indeed France stay on holiday for a while longer before coming to terms with the political vacuum that has been filled by Thomas Bach and the IOC delegates for a couple of weeks. The love and enjoyment in the air of competition has put aside for now all thoughts of a lurch to the right but no doubt this will resurface as la rentrée (back to school in all senses) looms larger. For us here in the Dordogne the night markets continue and English is spoken in all the day markets as the price of cheese reaches eye watering levels. It’s only euros darling not real money.
PARIS - some Bolder thoughts
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