As someone who is not particularly patriotic or sentimental, I was surprised to be caught up in the excitement of the Olympic Games — thrilled by sport, awed by athletes, and swelling with national pride.

Paris 2024 was full of surprises for me and my family. The three of us spent two and a half weeks in the City of Light, from the opening ceremony to almost the end. Like athletes timing their retirement, we left on a high note at the peak of our experience. Here are some musings from one island in the Seine, Île de la Cité, to ours back home in the Salish Sea.

French fans

We heard that Parisians left the city en masse in advance of the Games to avoid the 15 million expected fans. And yet judging by the number of blue, white, and red flags, the decibel of cheering for French athletes, and the dominant language of the crowds on the Metros and in the stands, many of them stuck around for the pageantry and patriotism.

When I think of the French, I picture sophistication and elegance. Mavens of fashions and merchants of luxury brands, the French are known for impeccable taste and manners. And yet here they are in the stands of Olympic bleachers, screaming their heads off. They seem to be as passionate about sports as they are about their pastries. They take it seriously, but they do it in style. Even their cheer — Allez! — sounds chic at the highest volume.

Opening ceremony

While the opening ceremony of the 2024 Summer Games were billed as the first ever open to the public, we found out the hard way that we still needed tickets to see the boats full of athletes on the Seine and watch the performances along the banks.

Those of us without the foresight or budget were left to “Fan Zones” across the city, gathering in places like squares and town halls set up with lounge chairs and big screens. I think something was lost in translation as these didn’t seem as exciting as the aquatic parade and concerts happening in real life a few blocks away — like getting a 12-pack of stale croissants from Costco instead of the real deal from a quaint boulangerie in Montmartre.

Instead, we headed to a sidewalk café for a more intimate viewing party on a smaller screen. Every bistro seemed to have a TV that might usually broadcast soccer matches. Tonight they were all tuned to the ceremony on the Seine, with a lineup of French pop, political and sports stars. We turned to the French patrons to help us understand who was participating and why they were there, as each choice of performers — from torch bearers to the heavy metal band — seemed to have double entendre.

We got caught up in the delight of the locals as the camera moved from one of their beloved icons to the next, making us feel less like tourists and more like temporary neighbors.

Equestrian

As a lifelong horseback rider, it seemed appropriate that the very first Olympic event I attended was the cross-country phase of Eventing. This is arguably the most exciting of all three of the equestrian events (Dressage, Show Jumping, and Eventing). While the former are stand alone disciplines, Eventing is made up of three phases: dressage and show jumping phase, along with cross-country, a fast-paced steeple-chase type event where horses and riders take on 45 jump obstacles. It is one of the only Olympic events in which men and women (and their horses) compete against each other. And it’s also the only one where riders wear tuxedos!

Riding is often referred to as the “sport of kings” so it was fitting that the backdrop of the equestrian events was the opulent Palace of Versailles, the country castle of Louis XIV. It also meant there was plenty of room for the estimated 40,000 spectators. Just like attending a concert of your favorite band is different than playing their album on Spotify in your headphones, the experience in real life and in real time was next level.

Athletics

Like several Olympic events, Athletics were held in a soccer stadium just outside the city. The Stade de France is France’s largest, with a capacity of 80,000. There was plenty of activity to keep us all entertained; sometimes it was too much, in fact.

There were at least three events happening simultaneously. For example, while the Women’s Triple Jump was happening on one side, the Men’s Pole Vault was underway on the other end, and athletes in Women’s Discus were launching their metal plates into the middle of the field.

Then the Women’s 5000 meter race started. After that, runners in the Mixed Relay lined up in the starting blocks. Our family tried to follow the lead of the French fans around us, standing and clapping and adding “Allez! Allez!” to their chorus.

Volleyball

While we didn’t have a connection to either of the teams in the Women’s Volleyball semi-finals, we chose to cheer for Turkey over China. It was fun to pick a favorite team for the day, watch their players, and be adopted into their cheering section. The teams were well-matched and kept us on the edge of our seats till the very end of the five games of play.

While the rules are the same, these are not the middle-school matches we were used to watching. This action was intense. The players wear knee pads for good reason and blocking a spike that’s traveling 80 mph deserves every roar from the crowd.

We learned that if we leave the venue thinking that the game looked fun and you might like to try it, the players have done it right. If you leave with a hoarse throat, a rush of adrenaline, and a swell of pride, you’ve done it right, too.

Sport Climbing

From the comfort of your armchair and air conditioning, you might think many of the Olympic sports look easy and attainable for anyone. After all, the best things done well look elegant and effortless. But Women’s Boulder & Lead will not leave you with that impression.

The climbers are using every muscle in their bodies to defy gravity. They are pulling themselves up negative-degree walls by their fingertips and hanging on to tiny crags by their toes. It doesn’t just look hard, it seems impossible. These feats are usually performed in action movies by stuntmen and made to look real with post-production editing.

We left the Sport Climbing stadium with the notion: Do not try this at home.

Local Boy in the Boat

By now the news has reached the island that one of our own, Jacob Pihal, placed 13th in the Men’s Single Skulls Rowing event. Pihal is a 2014 graduate of Vashon High School. He started out as a basketball player, but switched to rowing in college, serving as captain of the Northeastern University team. He continued to train and dream big after graduation and it paid off in Paris.

While we didn’t get the chance to see Pihal row in person, we share in the pride of a local athlete achieving his dreams, representing our great nation and small island. We can’t wait to celebrate his success at a parade in his honor later this month.

Beth Lindsay is an islander who has worn many hats. Most recently, she has served on the volunteer steering committee of Islanders for Ferry Action.