Two Weeks in Paris

I love Paris. Right now we’re enjoying two solid weeks of Paris sights, boat rides, parades, and fun. We’re watching the Olympic Summer Games, 2024.

A few weeks ago, we decided that we wanted to see a lot of the Olympic events, and found that a subscription to Peacock+ would get us access to all sports, exactly what we wanted. We like to see sports that are not normally on TV.

As happy retirees, we were able to watch the Olympic Games Opening Ceremony live, midday our time, when it was evening in Paris. Most of what we saw took place in a downpour. We admired the streetstyle dancers kicking through fountains, making their most energetic moves look fun despite the rain. The long line of cancan dancers had beautiful costumes, but seemed a bit out of their element out in the elements.

The singer Axelle Saint-Cirel appepared to emulate the French icon “Marianne” standing atop the Grand Palais looked brave and wet. We admired her grit.

All the entertainment filled the time it took for boats of all sizes to carry all the national Olympic teams down the Seine. Each group wore distinctive outfits, whether their delegation included a small group (Mongolia, 2) or many (Mexico, 107). The rain appeared irrelevant to those floating in the boats and watching from the shore.

Since the games have gotten underway, we’ve watched amazing feats of skill. I didn’t know there was team handball, using a ball the size of a small cantaloupe, that allows running with the ball and a bit of tackling (I think). The canoe slalom was exciting, too, as we watched women paddling like mad through roiling water. Judo is difficult to understand. Many of the sports we watch have rules that aren’t apparent to the uninitiated.

Air gun shooting is new to me. The guns have barrels about a foot long, and shoot small pellets. Women from Korea appear to be the dominant players. It was fascinating to see some of the elaborate effects the shooters try, with eye patches and tiny blinders, and to see how carefully they aim.

All the action doesn’t take place in Paris, either. We watched windsurfers waiting for a breeze in Marseille, and surfers blasting through the waves in Tahiti.

We’re not missing out on the popular events. Swimming is shown during prime time at night in the US, and we watched the heavily hyped relay events. We’ll return every evening to see what is held for the largest US audience.

Every day will be another adventure. We’re looking forward to seeing more aerial views of Paris and environs while we chase esoteric sports around the Olympic venues. All I need to make this perfect would be a beautiful, freshly baked flaky croissant.