La Fievre Olympique (Or why its best to ignore the naysayers)

You know what is kind of strange? Every couple of years, nations around the world compete for the opportunity to host the Olympic games. They put together packages, promotional videos, probably hand out assorted bribes, all in the hopes of highlighting their country under the world's largest spotlight. Then, if they are lucky enough to be victorious, people act like it is the worst thing that could possibly ever befall their land. Or at least that's how it seemed this summer. Any mention of Paris, home to the 2024 Summer Olympics, was met with an unshakeable certainty that it was going to be much too crowded/ expensive/ dangerous. Article after article spoke of Parisians fleeing their homes for the entire month of August. It was le catastrophe of the century and it hadn't even begun. 

There was some concern that the mass hordes would spill over into Amsterdam, my home for the summer, as if that city wasn't already way overcrowded with tourists. Honestly, I hadn't really given much thought to it, one way or another. That is, until I heard from an old friend that he would be working the games. He was wondering if I had any plans to visit. Based on all the doom and gloom I'd heard, I thought it would be impossibly expensive. Believe it or not, it wasn't. The bus ticket and hostel were actually quite reasonable, thus a plan was quickly hatched to go to Paris for the Olympics.

I did expect that navigating the city would be difficult with talk of all kinds of streets closures but I was up for the challenge. Yet, those challenges turned out to be so minor as to be almost non-existent. Thanks to excellent planning by the city, the worst I experienced were buses running slightly alternate routes or barricades making you walk an extra block or two in order to reach your destination. Really, no biggie. If you had any questions, there were plenty of volunteers on hand to direct you.  In lieu of the feared calamity, we actually got a bunch of unexpected bonuses.

For one, there was free stuff. Lots and lots of free stuff. Shortly after getting off the bus, my friend Virginia and I made our way to La Villette, a park that was housing many of the nation houses. Embassies had set up mini-fiefdoms to celebrate their food, culture and music, all while cheering on the home team. Many of these houses were free to enter. While we were there to visit the French house, we got so distracted by Colombia and Brazil's houses that we never did make it to France. 

While the games themselves were indeed pricey and the website itself, a pain to navigate, there were plenty of Olympic related events that were free and open to the public. One of my favorite things was Champions Park, a daily celebration of the prior day's medalists.

By going online, you could also get free passes to visit the Jardin des Tuileries to see the cauldron of the Olympic flame (which was not actually a flame but an optical illusion created with mist and lights). Even better, you could just look up into the sky at night when it would soar over the Seine. 

The same concerns that had caused locals to flee and tourists to steer clear resulted in the exact opposite reality. Touristic places that would normally be packed in the summer were sparsely populated, allowing for more enjoyable sightseeing. 

Check out the view from Sacre Coeur with next to no tourists.

The world's prettiest Popeye's Fried Chicken.

We were able to do a couple of walking tours, one of Montmartre and another of downtown Paris, without having to fight the crowds for good photo ops. 

Not that Paris needs any help in the photo op dept but having many of the landmarks adorned for the games, made them that much more photogenic. 

Our evening cruise of the Seine was even lovelier than usual, thanks to the Olympic spirit. 

Once the boat trip was over, we stuck around for the many riverside parties, including one hosted by Corona beer, where they basically created a mini-Tulum like beach right on the Seine.

For our final day, I explored the Marais, a former marshland that became home to the French nobility in the 16th century. Today, it is an artsy happening neighborhood, that happens to sit a stone's throw from the site of several Olympic events. Yet, there was no sign whatsoever that it was anything but a normal day. Just quiet streets with historic buildings at every turn.

Hotel des Sens: a medieval mansion that is now the Forney Art Library

St Paul, site of Cossette and Marius' wedding in Les Mis

Eugene Delacroix's Agony in the Garden

Place des Vosges: the oldest planned square in Paris

What I found was so far removed from my expectations. To the contrary, there was something really special about being around so much joy and celebration. I actually met some people who had been to multiple Olympic cities, it was kind of their thing. Now, after attending my first Olympic event, I can say I get it. Perhaps, its because Paris did so many things right (don't screw this up LA 2028!) or because it's such a grand city to begin with but being there during this time was by far one of the highlights of the summer. C'etait merveilleux!