Paris is a city that has its moods: Often sullen, always in a hurry and badly groomed after just waking up. It jumps from flashes of anger to flashes of genius; it's criticized for it, but it doesn't care. There's no need to tell it how beautiful we find it – it's been told that for centuries. Its selection for the 2024 Olympic Games triggered no demonstration of popular enthusiasm, especially when Parisians realized that their city itself, its monuments, its river, would serve as the competition ground – a first in Olympic history. Paris would become a star, they were told, in an attempt to win them over. What a joke. Isn't it already?

It was in front of the television that opinions began to change. On July 26, the evening of the opening ceremony, Magali, a Parisian sports teacher, was on vacation in Oléron, western France. The children had permission to stay up until midnight; Grandma stayed in front of the screen. There was a pang in Magali's heart as she watched the boats launch on the Seine. What if it was a failure? A shameful debacle in front of the whole planet? Paris appeared, emerging from the water, as if brand-new. Magali shed a tear. "Why am I not there?"

The impression only grew stronger during the first week of competition. A Parisian couple, now retired and living in Royan, near Bordeaux, had had their doubts. The wife, a former bank employee, had heard "terrible things" before the Games and believes she even said some. "Like everyone else," moderated her husband, a former butcher.

But after "bubbling in front of the TV," it was she who finally blurted out: "We've got to go." Of course, they didn't have tickets for anything – they wouldn't have wanted them just a few days ago. So they strolled along the quays of the Seine, which they knew like the backs of their hands, passing from one bridge to another and sighing, "How beautiful."

Seeing their city for the first time

One morning, their footsteps led them to the Trocadéro to take a photo of themselves in front of the Eiffel Tower, now adorned with the Olympic rings – them, real Parisians! They were two among thousands, mostly foreigners, and they were amazed by how similar they felt to these visitors: They had the sensation of seeing the city – their city – for the first time. "As if we were Uzbeks."

As the first days of the Paris Olympics unfolded, a second surprise came from these international visitors. There is, in fact, another category of human beings just as jaded as Parisians: Sports reporters, accustomed to running from one world event to the next. They have gorged themselves on incredible exploits; they are experts in the extraordinary. In other words, tough to impress.

You have 71.19% of this article left to read. The rest is for subscribers only.