Thanks Véronique - we had this crazy idea to do something really adventurous like going to madhouse Paris just before the games, jumped in the car early morning in Brussels, got to the Madeleine in 3 hours flat—already thinking "where's everyone?"—to find the city amazingly empty. The opening ceremony was a spectacle only the French can pull off (a mixture of pride, melodrama, and double entente), athletes can find no better backdrop for their exploits than Paris, with the city itself as the star in the show. City marketing at its best. The return will come long term. Let's hope the local businesses keep their heads up in the meantime.
Excellent write-up! Thank you for taking us behind the pre-Olympics scene in Paris.
Thanks Véronique - we had this crazy idea to do something really adventurous like going to madhouse Paris just before the games, jumped in the car early morning in Brussels, got to the Madeleine in 3 hours flat—already thinking "where's everyone?"—to find the city amazingly empty. The opening ceremony was a spectacle only the French can pull off (a mixture of pride, melodrama, and double entente), athletes can find no better backdrop for their exploits than Paris, with the city itself as the star in the show. City marketing at its best. The return will come long term. Let's hope the local businesses keep their heads up in the meantime.