The Beacons are lit!
Sorry, I mean the Olympic flame. When the majestic three masted barque Belem carried the torch into the port of Marseille, France was watching.
The torch relay across France and its overseas possessions was a huge event, including people from all walks of life. (French astronaut Thomas Pesquet carried the torch on Mont Saint Michel in his native Normandy.) Even though this is an Olympic tradition, the relay mixed abled and disabled participants from the start and up to the moment the flame was lit during the Olympic Opening Ceremony.
The mascots at this point were still badmouthed. Les Phryges (an Olympic and a Paralympic one) were supposed to represent the Phrygian Cap from the French Revolution, but people would compare them to a part of the female anatomy (or, like my husband, to pigeons).
Parisians were still upset about the construction and knew that certain new métro lines wouldn’t be finished in time. They were skeptical about the opening ceremony on the river and the Games sites all over town. Oh, and would the Seine finally be clean enough for the open water swimming events?
When I went to watch a swimming world cup event that served as dress rehearsal in August 2023, it had to be postponed due to water safety problems.
Bu the mayor had promised it would be clean in time for the Games, and she would swim in the Seine to prove it.
Still, we were curious and went to have a look at the Olympics Opening Ceremony site at the Trocadéro, Invalides (archery), and the Place de la Concorde (3×3 basketball, breaking, skateboarding, and BMX freestyle).
