After watching the Paris Olympics Opening Ceremony on Friday evening on tv, I puzzled what all of the decorations seemed like in particular person. I needed to see Woman Gaga’s stage and puzzled if Marie Antoinette was nonetheless standing within the Conciergerie home windows holding her head.
Wandering from the Bastille to the Seine I walked alongside the higher quai. I noticed the enchanted golden staircase on the tip of Sq. Barye the place Woman Gaga sang on and danced in pink and white plumage. I might nonetheless envision the actions and the moments. Forward of me lay the subsequent island to examine.
The island of Île-Saint-Louis was open to pedestrians once more. The pink flags have been nonetheless hanging alongside Quai de Béthune the place the can-can dancers entered their stage. The pedestrian site visitors was gentle. Below the gray, moist sky, I discovered brilliant flowers and residents on their morning strolls. Additional on alongside Île de la Cité, the wall of the Hôpital Hôtel-Dieu was nonetheless draped in gold that acted as a backdrop to dancers on Friday and to employees on Saturday dismantling the stage and the bleachers.
The rain drops have been fewer on Saturday, however the spirit of anybody strolling round Paris was nonetheless as full of life as they appeared on Friday. After going residence for lunch within the Bastille, I occurred upon the ladies’s highway race {qualifications}. The roads have been briefly blocked because the crowds gathered and the cyclists flashed by! I assumed I might catch the ultimate leg. So I raced over towards the Grand Palais space. With three strategic metro stops closed (Clemenceau, Concorde and Tuileries), it was simple to overshoot and miss the right entrance for the occasion.
The Italian movie crew in entrance of me made the identical overshoot they usually missed their pictures. By the point we made it round to the entrance of the Grand Palais, it was too late. We have been salmon in opposition to the stream of spectators. They went their manner; I went mine by the again gardens of the Petit Palais, previous the Jeff Koons statue of tulips.
I adopted a crowd by the Gardens of Champs-Elysées planning on taking the closest metro at Madeleine. On the best way, by Concorde, I noticed a forlorn statue, certainly one of eight representing French cities. Woman Lille was staring behind the embellished bleachers. Even she had no ticket to see any occasions. As a substitute of heading to Madeleine, one thing drew me towards Place Vendôme and the Tuileries Backyard.
As I approached rue de Rivoli a mounted staircase caught my eye. I adopted the group up and over the staircase into the backyard. In entrance of the barricade ornamental in Olympic colors was a lone inexperienced backyard chair. A line fashioned; I stepped into the road. There, trying excessive, was the “Montgolfier” — the new air balloon and the cauldron the place the Olympic flame was lit on Friday evening. It turned out to be a greater view than the official one. Tickets are free to enter the backyard and see the cauldron (with out standing on a inexperienced chair). Now I made a decision my day was nearly full, however yet another cease.
One of many objectives of the day had been to see the 5 Olympic rings in entrance of the Louvre pyramid. Mission completed. After nearly 20,000 steps and 13.21 km (8.2 miles), I referred to as it a day and walked by the Louvre arcade. On the Palais Royal-Musée du Louvre metro station, I might put away my umbrella. The solar could be scorching and shining on Sunday.