WARNING: Paris Olympics are coming!
A view from a local perspective
There’s an excellent phrase that I’ve learned in French: n’importe quoi.
It means ridiculous, stupid, absurd, and can be delightfully accompanied with an eye roll or shaking of one’s head.
I am sure — 100% sure — this delicious term is being bandied about heavily in Paris these days.
The 2024 Olympic Games are about to get underway in Paris to great fanfare (for tourists/visitors) and regret (for Parisians).
I am in the U.S. at the moment, knowing fully well that I have dodged a bullet. Sure, it’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. But rather than have FOMO, I feel relief that I won’t have to navigate a city that is partly locked up tight.
Even though I’m away from Paris, I have been monitoring the situation on the ground (I am, of course, a possibly former journalist). I’ve spoken to friends who live there and have been combing through social media to see what delights are in store for Parisians these days.
Here’s what I found out:
In the lead-up to the Games, roads and bridges are closed all over Paris. According to one post on ‘X’/Twitter:
“Paris is nothing more than a vast forbidden route!” - Eric Klein on ‘X’/Twitter
Residents of Paris have to carry a special pass with a QR code to access areas that are highly secure. People have to apply ahead of time to be allowed to go to work or home. One friend said she recently showed her pass to a police officer and they didn’t know what it was! (N’importe quoi!)
don’t fence me in: this is how people have to get around the center of Paris these days. Source: ‘X’/Twitter: @JCQDSE My friend Anni lives on Île St. Louis and there was one night in the middle of last week when she couldn’t sleep because workers were out all night putting barriers up and cleaning the streets. She heard the loud crashes of materials being moved around and a truck’s engine running all night.
Access to some areas is so restricted, shopkeepers and restaurants have no customers.
There are some interesting things I learned, as well.
Police officers from all over the world will help with security in Paris during the Olympics (does that usually happen? something tells me yes). That includes the UK, Qatar, South Korea, Germany, and Brazil. What’s really interesting is that in the UK, officers of the Sikh faith wear their turbans at work — but in France, it’s illegal for public servants like a police officer to wear any symbol of religion. So the UK asked for an exception to be made. (Not sure it’ll be granted.)
For the first time in its history (121 years!), the Tour de France will end today (July 21) in the city of Nice on the French Riviera, because of the Olympic Games.
(Normally it ends at the Champs-Elysées in Paris.)
I did say in a previous post that there were threats of grèves, or strikes, during the Olympics. Who can blame them? It’s a great time to threaten a work stoppage to get demands met, non?
The most recent strike threats are:
Live entertainment workers announced plans to strike during the Opening Ceremony of the Olympics on July 26
The dancers who will be participating in the Opening Ceremony also issued a warning to strike
Here’s the thing.
It’s marvelous to be in the city that’s hosting a once-in-a-lifetime event, and Paris deserves the attention. This is a tough time in the world, and a lot of these painful precautions are due to the fact that France has been on a high security alert for months. And seeing as this is such a major event, it’s important to have security in place to make sure people are safe.
Me? I prefer to read about the n’importe quoi and watch the Olympics on TV.
I am staying in Paris and I am excited for the games, especially as I managed to score some tickets. However I don't live in any of the areas impacted and I am avoiding the areas where you need a pass because I don't want to deal with it (I have heard from others who've done it that it's a nightmare right now). Once the games officially start I may regret it tho!
Pro tip: it's "n'importe quoi." Thought you might like to know!
On another subject, my daughter lives in Paris and indeed things are getting complicated. She is trying to get excited about the event, however.