An American in Paris: Eiffel Tower Shines Above All Olympic Venues

PARIS — It’s iconic design and standing within the Paris landscape has been the subject of poems, photos, stories and proposals for more than a century and marketed in everything from wine racks to keychains and … well, you name it.

But in some ways, the Olympic Summer Games is giving the Eiffel Tower a moment in the spotlight. It was the site where athletes staged at the end of a memorable Opening Ceremony and is now home to the Parc de Champions. But you can’t go on social media and avoid photos of beach volleyball with the Eiffel looming in the background.

“Our phones are ringing off the hook asking, ‘do you have extra tickets to beach because I gotta see this,’” said USA Volleyball Chief Executive Officer Jamie Davis on Monday night. “‘I don’t care if the U.S. is playing, I just gotta see the stadium.’ And then say ‘how about when the U.S. is playing?’ It’s going to really help get more young people interested in the sport.”

That demand only increases at night as the sun sets and the Eiffel lights up in yellow, then sparkles at the top of each hour. On Monday night at the beach volleyball venue, people were scampering up the steps toward the top of the stadium as the sun started setting to get their photographs of a lifetime.

(And yes, SportsTravel may have done the same. Once or twice. Maybe more. OK, lots more).

Have there been memorable sites at the Olympics? Sure. Beach volleyball itself was at the Copacabana Beach in Rio de Janeiro in 2016. But this transcends beach volleyball.

“I’ve been to sporting events all my life around the globe and I don’t think I’ve ever been to a stadium as iconic as this one,” Davis said on Monday.

Paris Nights

There has been plenty of coverage written and said about the economic impact of the Games with some businesses saying they have not seen the foot traffic that one would expect from the event.

From our observation the past few days, both can be true: The first few cafes and restaurants that are nearest to a competition venue, when leaving late at night, have the traditional Parisian feel with outdoor seating packed, conversation flowing and atmosphere alit. A main social area around the Eiffel Stadium saw multiple restaurants full both outside and even the inside tables (which is not how people prefer to eat in France).

It can also be true that when leaving the indoor volleyball arena on Monday evening, once you were two blocks past the South Paris Arena 1, there was plenty of seating available on both sides of the street if you wanted a bite to eat. That has been the case in multiple venues as well; the Champs-Elysees over the weekend, compared to prior visits, had unmistakably lighter foot traffic during the day.

Heat Has Impact

There’s no getting around the heat that has enveloped Paris the past few days. Hitting a high temperature of 95 on Tuesday left organizers scrambling to publicize the availability of water fountains at venues and throughout the city, which historically has temperatures topping out in the upper 70s during late July.

Traveling to events on the metro, the sign boards constantly reminded passengers about the importance of staying hydrated and having water available when traveling. With less of the metro lines having air-conditioned trains, it has made for uncomfortable moments. In some stations that were expected to have heavy foot traffic near events, such as the stop by Bercy Arena on Tuesday afternoon, those going up the stairs toward exits aboveground walked by multiple large tables where Paris 2024 volunteers were folding up fans to hand out.

Have Fun at Handball

Want to get an Olympic experience without knowing what the heck is going on in front of you? Handball is the sport for you. Popular throughout Europe, a Spain-Netherlands match was packed at the South Paris Arena 6, giving a confused American a tasted of something different.

A match has two 30-minute halves with seven players on each team. Players can take up to three steps without dribbling the ball and are allowed to possess it for a maximum of three seconds. Players can throw, catch, stop, push or hit the ball but cannot touch the ball with their feet or with any part below the knee.

The Paris handball court was mostly light green with the goal area, which is only allowed to be occupied by the goalie, in dark green. Because players usually jump over the goal line and attempt shots while in the air, the result can be either a cool little aerial moment or a hard landing with no payoff.

Culture Clash

Walking out of the South Paris Arena after the U.S. women’s volleyball team lost to China, one American fan in particular — decked out in Uncle Sam regalia from head to toe — was noted by a group of Belgians outside at a café.

“U-S-A! U-S-A! U-S-A!” the Belgians chanted as a group. Without breaking stride, the American yelled back “I LOVE YOUR WAFFLES!”

Everybody laughed.