France wouldn’t be France if we didn’t celebrate our athletes with a parade on the Champs Élysées. So of course, we do. And can you believe it? Viewing spots are free! Just sign up quickly enough. We’re pros at quick sign-up by now, and so we have access to a certain sector on the left side (in the shade) of the Avenue. We arrive early, and everyone gets a flag to wave. Yay! We’re in the second or third row, with a very good view, and we made sure to position ourselves with a view of a large screen as well. (Remember the first Opening Ceremony?) On top of that, the athletes are going to walk up on a raised catwalk, so even the people way behind will be able to see them just fine.

Even before the Parade of the Champions starts, we get a special treat: Several athletes, some with medals around their necks casually walk down the avenue to the starting point, passing right in front of us! And someone else is there, too: Tony Estanguet, the guy who got us the Games in the first place, head of the organizing committee. I shout, “Thank you Tony!” I hope he hears it.

Then we get another treat: The Phryge-covered taxi from the Paralympics Opening Ceremony drives up on one side and back down on the other.

Then the Assassin from Assassin’s Creed who carried the torch over the rooftops in the Olympics Opening Ceremony, walks up the catwalk, only to be met by the mysterious rider of the horse on the river, who hands the assassin a baton. Three “coups de bâton”, the French national colours explode around the Arc de Triomphe, echoing Austerlitz Bridge at the Opening Ceremony, and we’re off.

The Parade is led by a bunch of life-sized Phryges. They are so adorable! There’s one covered in sequins, one is Léon Marchand with his swim goggles and medals, one wears the now famous but still ugly volunteer uniform hat.

Games volunteers and members of Team France take their well-deserved viewing spots between the catwalk and the barriers.

And then, finally, the athletes.

My favourites: Léon Marchand letting a blind para-athlete hold and feel one of his medals (Olympic medals are slightly different from Paralympic ones and obviously have no Braille), and Teddy Riner, the French star judoka, wearing a nice suit. Why? Because once they are at the top of the Champs Elysées, the medalled athletes get Decorations (Legion of Honour or National Order of Merit) but as he has already received several and so gets a higher level one, he has to be dressed up. The Decorations are presented by a number of high-profile athletes (and the new Prime Minister). President Macron cherry-picks the likes of Léon Marchand and Aurélie Aubert.

For the Decoration part, we’re already back home and watch it on TV (front-row seats!). The athletes party into the night.