JOE NIGHT – Throughout the games, Joseph Ghosn has one mission: to tell you about Parisian nights. For this stage, he traveled from the Grand Palais to the banks of the Seine, guided by an Olympic balloon.
“Come, children of the fatherland, the day of glory has come…” It is 9:31 p.m., as Marcellus cheers under the huge glass roof and metal frames of the Grand Palais. The national anthem was improvised by supporters of a French sportswoman who is playing the final of her favorite sport – fencing. France have just won rugby gold, tempers are heating up, cheers are growing, the night has just begun. But ten minutes later, national champion Aurelia Malo-Breton fell behind her rival, who is still ranked world No. 1. Emmanuel Macron, who came to see the final at the last moment, warned that the Frenchwoman was qualified, disappeared right after the defeat. Flash view. Where is he going again? Defeat still awarded the silver medal to France, and by the time we left the Grand Palais, around 11 p.m., night had already fallen.
City of lights
Where is Paris tonight? It seems to hang in the cool air around the Seine, from the pendulum and the smoke rising from the Olympic cauldron, carried into the air by the opening ceremony balloon, still weightless above the Tuileries Gardens. A point of gold and balance that watches over the city. “All seats are reserved for hot air ballooning,” we are told. Can we sneak up there at night? From the Alexandre III Bridge, the way out of the Grand Palais, the balloon serves as a compass. There is almost no car noise in this part of Paris. Some memories of the 2020 lockdown feelings come to mind. Paris is quite pleasant in silence, especially to get lost in the silent mass of tourists who are busy scrutinizing the statues on the bridge, which the ban on cars allows you to see up close and appreciate the darkness, graceful contours and ease. of forms. They appear luminous at night. My friend who accompanied me took a photo and was surprised by the night beauty of Paris, which seemed to wake up from a long sleep. Vacationing Parisians have been replaced by tourists, and the atmosphere is light, almost mocking. In the street, along the piers, people are laughing, having fun, around the pillows, where people are having fun. From a distance, Rosa Bonheur sur Seine looks like a Rubik’s cube lit from within. Up close, we get the impression that this place is a giant colorful disco that never fades as the night settles in the sky. A kaleidoscope of lights, bodies, dances, spirits. Party spirit?
A few meters away, on the other side of the Concorde Bridge, the ship Concorde Atlantique resonates in the same way. Paris returned to endless nights after the opening ceremony. From the floor of the National Assembly, these piers are the terrain of a parallel country that never turns off its lights. From there, the road to the Musée d’Orsay is filled with tourists wandering in search of the nighttime Paris of their dreams, all of whom end up tripping because of their gazes, turned and hypnotized by the balloon that suddenly confronts the d’Orsay. seems huge to us. “The Olympics created a new moon over Paris,” we hear very seriously. Another surreal feat.
Source: Le Figaro
