Parisians once scoffed at hosting the Olympics. Now, here come the conga lines
Impromptu conga lines at beach volleyball
PARIS — Like most self-respecting Parisians, Mathilde Joannard and Franck Tallieu had been training for the Olympic sport of Olympics-bashing.
Of course the Olympics were going to be a mess, the couple had reasoned when they learned the Games were coming to town. Like so many Parisians, the human resources executives assumed it would be crowded, or beastly hot, or chaotic, or a pain in the derrière to navigate. Or all the above.
So how did they end up dressed in rented “Three Musketeers” costumes with painted-on goatees, waving the tricolor flag gleefully for the cameras at the fencing competition?
They’re not really sure.
“We just decided to have fun with it,” said Joannard, engaging in some Gallic understatement as the couple enjoyed ice cream pops outside the majestic Grand Palais during a break in fencing on a brilliant summer day. She herself seemed a bit shocked by what she was saying.
“We’re really, really enjoying it,” she repeated. “I’m so glad we’re here.”
It seems many Parisians have undergone the same happy metamorphosis. At first pooh-poohing the audacious plan to turn the capital into one big Olympic venue — launched by an even more audacious opening ceremony along the Seine River — many have come to think it was a pretty cool idea after all.
And they’re taking it all in. Those who stayed, that is. As for those who left, some are sorry to have missed the fun.
Where’s the evidence of fun, you ask? How about a conga line? At beach volleyball, in the absurdly photogenic stadium nestled under the Eiffel Tower, a crowd of volunteers began just such a line Sunday night. A gaggle of fans joined in, following them around an upper tier of the stadium.
How about street
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