Paris, Olympics, and Vacation

I am catching up on sleep, relaxation, clearing of the mind, and hanging with the family. We have never been to the Olympics and decided seeing them in one of our favorite cities in the world would be ideal. Over the next few weeks we are seeing many events and am looking forward to them all.

We arrived late in the afternoon, and over the next hour or so, our daughters came with their partners, so a full spread was needed pre-dinner at a fam fave, Au Passage.

We could watch the bicycle race from our balcony and listen to the cheers below. Not a bad kickoff to our vacation.

This sugar-covered fluffy donut stuffed with whipped duck liver was a genius combination for dinner.

The next day, we made our Sunday pilgrimage to the Paul Bert Serpette flea market. Sometimes, there is nothing worth seeing; other times, it is incredible. I loved this chair.

Lunch was at Bonne Adventure, which is always delicious.

The next stop was our first event, women’s volleyball in front of the Eiffel Tower. We saw a great game of Brazil vs. Egypt. The only way to get around town is either the metro or bikes. Multiple streets are cordoned off. Police and hospitality people are everywhere. France is doing an excellent job making sure the experience is as enjoyable as possible and that people feel taken care of. I give them huge cred.

Fred took this photo.

It is delightful to walk to dinner when the streets are so vacant. It actually feels quite similar to any urban area in the summer. Hot and not too crowded. After freshening up from the games, we came back to the apartment before making our way to Bistro des Tournelles. A delicious bistrot, hitting all the high notes of what to have in Paris. The foie gras was rich creamy and perfect on fluffy toast.

Desserts were abundant, but nothing better than a profiterole to end the evening. I admit I tend to veer towards the cheese, but this was the right call.

We strolled home, full and with a couple of bottles of natural wine in our system, and watched a bit of Olympic basketball before collapsing into bed. I am coming to realize how exhausted I am. Tomorrow, we are off to Biarritz, a short beach hop, before all our games begin.