August 6, 2024
The weather here has been nearly perfect: 18C at night and 28C at its hottest (surprisingly, at 6 p.m.). The sun rises at 6:30 a.m. and doesn’t set until 9:22 p.m. Yes, that’s 15 hours of daylight. The only “anomaly” this summer season happened during the rainy Opening Ceremony last July 26. Two days prior (and two days after), it has been mostly sunny.
2. We experienced an attempted pickpocket. It happened inside the Metro when two ladies surrounded Jana just as we entered. One lady’s hand was hidden behind a big empty bag as she pressed against our daughter. A tall man stood behind them. The other lady asked Jana in English (very unusual) what station this was headed to. We noticed something was wrong, stayed put and guarded our belongings. As we reached the next stop, the four of them (their “team” included another lady) jumped out of our carriage — and hopped on to the same train just a few meters right behind!
3. The bars and coffee shops here are filled. Many have large TV sets showing (exclusively) French athletes. The sport that we’ve noticed Parisians love watching the most: judo and fencing. And, of course, they love Leon Marchand. When he won gold in the 200m IM, we saw them running around hoisting the flag. Many painted their cheeks with their flag’s red-white-and-blue colors.
4. Best spot: just as it gets dark at 10 p.m., standing at the Arc de Triomphe and watching the Eiffel Tower and the Olympic cauldron balloon.
5. Kindness: this is not our first trip here and we’ve all known about their occasional rudeness. But, so far, everyone has been courteous. In Metro stations, volunteers guide you. At the playing venues, they help you; in the souvenir stores, restaurants, Carrefour shops, they smile. The Olympics has brought out the best in the French. Merci!
6. Food: after a week of eating baguette, frites (obviously, it’s not called “French fries” here), croissants and (French) onion soup, we finally succumbed to my sister-in-law Mitzi’s tactic: eat Chinese food with plenty of rice.
7. Police and military officers are visible. The policemen are usually three officers in one group. The French military wear light-brown fatigues and carry high-powered firearms. They are 6 or 7 in a formation. They parade the streets as sirens are overheard. In major streets, it’s not surprising to see 10 police cars lined up.
8. Walk, walk, walk. We average 10K per day.
9. Water is potable. And they’ve installed drinking fountains in many public areas. The public “toilettes” (“sanisettes”) are innumerable and are scattered in the major thoroughfares — all for free.
10. The Paris Metro system is one of the world’s best. We even got to meet an Olympian from Mexico who, just hours earlier, competed in the 20km Race Walk. Exclusive during the Games, Paris has the Navigo pass for tourists: 10 Euro for unlimited rides all-day inside Zones 1 to 5, which includes the airport and Versailles.
11. Music is played everywhere, particularly inside the Olympic venues where a DJ invites the crowd to sing and dance along. Our favorite: serenaded by the Olympic volunteers on Paris’ beloved street, the song, “Les Champs-Elysees.”
