Our little pink circus 🤡 came just after her performance. They should have named our street after Zizi !
When I came out, the ceremony had just started. My street was empty! They put the viewers way back behind barricades at the cross street. 
Or people sitting on balconies and in windows🪟
The guard said something to me, but I pranced away☺️ 
If only I’d dressed in pink croissants 🥐 I could have joined in 🩰
For sure the lady in charge would have put a stop 🛑 to that 👍
Still I had the street to myself 🤸♂️ Police 👮♂️ vans all gone 👏 
After 30 minutes, the drizzle started. The dancers 💃 left. I went inside exhausted 🥳 Like the rest of you, I watched the rest inside. No available roof views on my building. 
Did you hear glorious Axelle Saint-Cirel sing La Marsaillaise atop le Grand Palais? Her gown was designed by Dior. 
The incredible Aya Nakamura. Those Garde Républicaine live around the corner from me 👋 
Sublime Celine Dion (in Dior) at the Eiffel Tower.
Well that’s it PBers. I hope you enjoyed the show.
I’m Carol Gillott, an artist living in Paris. Every month I send out beautifully illustrated letters that capture the true Parisian experience.
Sign up to receive whimsical treasures in your mail.📮
Thanks for reading PB ❤️
☕️ If you’d like to support my work, you can buy me a KO-FI here ☕️ ❤️ Thank you so much! Bon Dimanche PBers🤸🏾♀️🎉🥂
What a beautiful and different perspective to all the grand festivities we all had to watch on TV.
ReplyDeleteThank you ❤️ CAROLG
DeleteWow..so much dissention over the opening games.I am so glad I didn't analyze..simply enjoyed.I'm on team they were wonderful.
ReplyDeleteVery artisitic opening but as I watched on TV, I realized that people who paid lots of $$ to fly to Paris or who live there, couldn't enjoy all the festivities because they were so spread out and on the other side of barriers. It was a made-for-TV event, not in-person.
ReplyDeleteThat was the purpose of the multiply large screens placed all over Lynn. CAROLG
DeleteYour pink pics are merveilleux! Loved watching the water-logged spectacle, especially Aya Nakamura’s performance. Thank you for keeping us posted, and we’ll be sure to check out Messy Nessy’s shop the next time we’re in Paris.
ReplyDeleteThank you ❤️ CAROLG
DeleteHaving been a long time fan of the Olympics (since 1968) and having attended 3 (Munich in 1972, Atlanta in 1996 and Sydney in 2000) and the opening ceremonies of the latter two, it's hard to beat the emotional grandeur of the march of the athletes into the stadium when you are there. But it's a world-wide event and if you are going to break from tradition, what better city could there be? I thought it was great. BTW, we've been a fan of your blog since we found it years ago while doing our research for our first serious trip to Paris.
ReplyDeleteThanks Robin 👏👏👏
DeleteThe element of surprise and including Paris’ monuments was key. CAROLG
Sorry but I think it was not a very good idea. The inaugural was very strange. The vedettes loaded with athletes, what??
ReplyDeleteAll that pink - why? It really had nothing to do with the athletes! Just a lot of pepto Bismal or should I say dismal pink vomit.
ReplyDeleteThank Lady GaGa’s pink plumes
DeleteLOVE that macaron costume! We're so near yet so far, aren't we, Carol? We watched it too on TV in the end - wasn't it fabulous? Excited to get into the spirit by walking around Paris tomorrow. Alas, we couldn't get tickets months ago of any events we wanted, as the ticket allocation wasn't great was it? Now we have tickets that we need to sell on the official website and watching the rest (esp fencing) on TV at home!
ReplyDeleteI would have been there watching the cycling time trial! I'm recording the opening so will watch it when I gt home. Fun to see outside your door but did it feel a bit weird behind the fence?
ReplyDeleteThank you for your always unique perspective!
ReplyDeleteAh, so lush and lovely. You were fortunate to have a unique perspective! I loved the pink, the mysterious flame carrier, all the entertainment all over. Because I was relegated to the US NBC broadcast, I missed most of those gold women statues. I guess I’ll just have to come back! Thanks for keeping the flame alive, Carol! Xoxoxox
ReplyDeleteWow!!!! Look how close you were to the Olympic torch!!! Lucky you!!!! I was glued to the TV…absolutely amazing!!! 🩷🩷🩷
ReplyDeleteNicole🇨🇦
I was surprised to see the torch..there must have been many used throughout CAROLG
DeleteSuch an imaginative and unique spectacle like no other - loved the opening ceremony, but can understand if you paid thousands to watch it riverside, it was a washout in more ways than one. Does anyone know where the huge library where the jesters danced was? I've got to put it on my list of Paris to-dos. Merci!
ReplyDeleteThe Richelieu library 📚 CAROLG
DeleteMerci Carol! I'll look it up and definitely want to visit!
DeleteLove the pics, how fun to be there to see the creativity of costumes and colors. I have pics of me with traveling friends standing on the sidewalk close to where you live, in the evening, watching the boats go up and down the seine. Enjoy where you can!
ReplyDeleteQuai de Béthune is a great street for river watching. Very popular with the French and tourists alike CAROLG
DeleteThank you so much for sharing with us the name of the magnificent mezzo soprano singing the national anthem. She was as thrilling as Celine Dion! And for the photos of scenes we did not see on the telecast.
ReplyDeleteAxelle Saint-Cirel was new to me too. Terrific of Thomas Jolly to introduce such a diverse course of 🎵 CAROLG
DeleteOur own personal journalist reporting on what we love to see. Thanks for the fascinating pictures.
ReplyDeleteThe Richelieu library! It was fun to watch on tv and pick out the landmarks. Strobe lights off the Eiffel just amazing! Pink seems so Paris to me but not a very sporty color!
ReplyDeleteIt was suggested the pink was related to Lady GaGa’s plumes nearby CAROLG
DeleteCarol, I loved every minute of the opening ceremonies. Everything was beautifully done. I’m glad that they changed up everything. It was very exciting this year in so many different ways. It certainly wasn’t boring. Change is good. It was festive and intriguing and showcased Paris. Thank you for the beautiful photos. Merci Paris, J’ adore Paris!
ReplyDeleteThank you ❤️ My own viewpoint was just a snippet of something so grand. CAROLG
DeleteThe opening ceremonies were fabulous! Watched it live and then rewatched what I missed on DVR. I knew the pink performers where right there at your building…front row seat for you. And the entertainment was superb. Thank you Paris and thank you Carol!
ReplyDeleteThanks Dee Ann, you probably saw more than I did in a sequential manner👏CAROLG
DeleteSo glad you got to see a little bit up close. I thought the ceremony was truly spectacular - just unfortunate that the TV commentators didn't have a little more information about the French connections to pass on to those unfamiliar with Paris and France.
ReplyDeleteToo secretive about the whole event imo. Maybe they could have dropped explanatory flyers from the sky? The helicopters 🚁 were circling all week out my window CAROLG
DeleteMerci Caroll pour ces photos de près ! Cela nous permet de voir la beauté des costumes (la robe croissant !) jusqu'au nom de ta rue rebaptisée rue Edith Piaf, j'adore tous ces détails ! Et bravo pour tous tes posts, c'est la première fois que je laisse un commentaire et c'est l'occasion de te dire que j'apprécie tout ce que tu fais !
ReplyDeleteBien amicalement,
Isa Marie, blog Grelinette et Cassolettes https://www.grelinettecassolettes.com/
Grand Merci Isa Marie 👏☺️ CAROLG
DeleteHaving watched it in the US, the NBC broadcast was disappointing. I heard the BBC did a much better job, informing viewers what landmarks they were seeing in real time. Surely there was someone on NBC’s roster with a working knowledge of French culture? A football announcer and 2002 American Idol winner?? Sad.
ReplyDeleteI loved the parade of athletes in their bateaux! If the cameras had stayed on them I would have been happy. Not even the drenching rain could quash their enthusiasm! Glad you got out to see some of it, Carol. Very exciting!
I agree. I would have loved to see the Olympians on the boats. Le Monde did a short boat video CAROLG
DeleteI love the people watching. That is more fun. Wow. Lynne
ReplyDeleteOH, CAROL, FANTASTIC!!! LOVE YOUR ‘CURBSIDE’ VISION!!! XXOO CARLA
ReplyDeleteWasn’t I lucky!! ❤️CAROLG
DeleteThe best coverage of the Olympics ceremony! Thanks for sharing the behind the scenes of the pink party on your street darling <3 That pink Marie-Antoinette cake looks dreamy..funny idea to create a dress with it! I'm happy to see you got to see a part of the ceremony from your street even though they had put the bars. AND that you got to see the bike race today, WOW!!! Can't wait to come next week and see the the Olympic Cauldron :-) Xx
ReplyDeleteI loved seeing the spectacular
ReplyDeleteopening ceremonies from your personal view. Thanks for the mention.
Loved seeing your view of the Opening Ceremony. I thought of you today (le dimanche, 28 Julliet) when I saw the amazing French swimmer, Leon Marchand get an Olympic Record. I'm sure you look just like that when you go to the pool. :)
ReplyDelete🥳 oh absolutely as I do my aquagym 🏊 poolside xxx
DeleteIt was fabulous!!!
ReplyDeleteThankS Carol!!!!
Beautiful and very French!!!
Lois Flowers
Tanks Lois
DeleteMy viewpoint was minuscule next to the whole extravaganza
🐜 CAROLG
Lovely!!! I knew you would get the pictures noone else would!! Love them!! You get the GOLD MEDAL 🥇 for photos and watercolors!! Normajean
ReplyDeleteYou really saw it all! Anabel
ReplyDeleteHow exciting to be a part of the opening ceremony. I am a little envious. Did Lady Gaga pass by your apartment? MeredithMullins
ReplyDeleteLady GaGa was dancing on a stairway before Pont Sully, preceding our little pink circus 🤡
DeleteOMG Paris did a fantastic job of the opening ceremony!!!!
ReplyDeleteAnd CELINE DION😳😳😳Absolutely amazing!!!! Carolyn
Wonderful post —!! 🌸
ReplyDeleteFun to hear what it was like from a local! I thought the opening ceremony was awesome! I watched it later on Saturday. There was so much great music of such variety and heaps of dancers (cabaret, heavy metal, pop, rap, classical, early music with recorder, ballads, piano solo, etc).
ReplyDeleteThe boats of athletes were amazing and I liked following along with the musketeer carting the torch. Very French I thought, our Australian tv commentators were pretty bad though.
Merci France!
Wow, what a unique historic place you had!!! Cool that your art is selling retail in a Paris shop!! Do you have it in more than one? Sketchbook W.
ReplyDeleteSo great that you have letters in Messy Nessy. Looks like a great shop. Have you thought about making a line of bookmarks that were original water colors? An Efiel Tower bookmark? A baguette bookmark? Price at 5 Euros. Nice thing to bring home and easy to pack.
ReplyDelete