Apropos my last post, about unity being dead in the USA. The USA is not the only country with such problems. France has had its share of divisive politics and events over the past few years. The Paris Olympics seems to have united the country, at least for the time period within which the Games were held. The Paris Olympics were wonderful. Of course it helped to have Paris as the 'background' against which all else occurred. But it was mostly the Games themselves. They were riveting and exciting, with athletes whose excellence shone at every turn. It was a thrill to watch them perform. I haven't watched the Olympics (winter or summer) in years; I can't tell you why this one appealed to me. But it did. I was so impressed with Team USA's performances and wins. It made me proud of my country to see them do so well. Apparently many in the USA are in agreement with me; apparently it was the most-streamed Olympics of all time (Paris Olympics ratings soar 82% over Tokyo Games, delivering big boost to NBC’s Peacock streamer | CNN Business). Here in Norway, we streamed the games on MAX (formerly HBO Max), which did a great job. What was nice was that we were able to watch what we wanted when we wanted--live events and past events. We looked forward to our evening viewing. MAX did a very good job and provided a good overview of what was going on.
What was also nice was that for two blessed weeks, the media didn't focus ad nauseam on the angry orange-haired man and his sidekick clone. We didn't have to hear about the former's latest tantrum/tirade. We could ignore it in favor of something that actually united the country. Thank God for that. In fact, thank God for two blessed politics-free weeks. We were able to breathe easy and relax. Relax. That's something very few of us do anymore. Of course the media tried their darndest to make a scandal out of everything, including the opening ceremony's alleged parody of the Last Supper. If it was indeed that, it was disrespectful and unnecessary. If it wasn't, it was a tempest in a teapot. I found that entire segment boring; in fact, the entire opening ceremony could have been cut down to three hours and that would have been fine. But I'm not going to nit-pick the entire opening ceremony. It is what it is. None of the opening or closing ceremonies are ever spectacular shows. The Paris Olympics closing ceremony ended on a beach in LA with Snoop Dogg and Dr. Dre singing and a scantily-clad young woman twerking to the music. Vulgar in my book, unless you like women twerking. I don't. But hey, that's all part of it. Something for everyone, I guess. I enjoyed the segment with Tom Cruise, with Cruise doing what Cruise loves to do most in this world--jump from high places, into a packed stadium and out of a plane. God bless the guy; he's 62 and in better shape than most 62-year olds I know. I wouldn't do any of it, but I enjoy watching him do it.
Los Angeles 2028--we'll see what time brings. In the meantime, I hope to make another trip to Paris in the coming years. After having seen it now for two weeks, I look forward to returning to the city. I've been there four times, twice with my friend Gisele who passed away last October. I know she would have enjoyed watching these Olympics and seeing Paris. Had she lived and been well, she would have bought an apartment in Paris; that was her dream that sadly did not come true. As I was watching these Olympics, I thought of her and our wanderings around Paris--eating, shopping, visiting museums, taking a bus tour to champagne country and visiting Versailles. My husband and I have been to Paris twice; the first time we went to the Moulin Rouge to see a show. We've also walked around Paris, visited Versailles, and taken a boat trip on the Seine. All of these are nice memories that the Paris Olympics brought back for me.
