Sunday, 4th of August
Beginning from Gare de Lyon, heading to Bibliothèque Francois Mitterand metro station. Take the yellow RER C train to St Quentin Yveslines (SQY), followed by a bus ride to Le Golf Nationale, taking approximately two hours. It’s the Paris Olympics, known for its quick meals.
French golfers are greatly admired in the final round galleries, which boast 20, 30, 40 deep crowds, with Irish golfers close behind in popularity. On the first tee, Shane Lowry, wide-eyed with wonder, takes in the scene. The crowds, adorned in GAA tops representing Kerry, Roscommon, and Castlergar of Galway radiate a vibrant community spirit. An €18 meal of chicken goujons, chips and coke is offered, with payment exclusively visa.
Although Shane fails to perform, Rory excels. His final round can be encapsulated in a 17 syllable Haiku: ‘Birdie, birdie, birdie, birdie, birdie, water grave, wedge screwed me up.’ It’s a game known for its capricious tests of skill.
Rory articulates his experience: “I had a wedge in hand at the fifteenth hole, and if I scored, I could’ve tied for the lead at 18 under. A medal was within reach at that moment.”
Shane, meanwhile, makes an early exit for a US based tournament taking place the upcoming week.
“I need to collect my children in Dublin before heading to America,” he mentions.
It’s a journey from SQY to Montparnasse, leading on to Chatelet. A single stop to Gare de Lyon. I wrap up the day with half a carafe of red wine.
On Monday, the 5th of August, work is done under the sun’s warm rays, laptop tucked away in the shade. A waitress, sweet in her intentions, starts to move an umbrella over for shade, but the nostalgic cries of summer stop her. She can’t grasp the summer weather in Dún Laoghaire.
The crowd here is robust, but quite different. Slumbering individuals are found at the station entrance, a small group smoking cannabis, and a homeless man requesting leftover chips. The waitress, taken aback, gives him the food but can’t hide her disappointment. A diverse mix of less fortunate individuals and armed police surround the miniature Olympic playground, complete with stalls and non-alcoholic beer. Something that certain generations can’t stand.
A procession of sporting elites is currently unfolding at Trocadero. Both renowned individuals such as Novak Djokovic and up-and-coming athletes like Mona McSharry and Rhys McClenaghan tread the same ground, epitomising the Olympics’ capacity to level societal hierarchy. Meanwhile, memories of the Rugby Sevens event at Stade de France seem distant.
The prevailing sentiment across the athletic tracks is one of heartache and disappointment. A common motif of every Olympic Games, for every triumphant 800m swimmer or lightweight rowing champion, and each record-breaking pole vault by Duplantis, there exist a hundred shattered dreams.
From Trocadero, we take a direct journey on the RER to Chatelet, making a single stopover at Gare de Lyon. We manage to reach Le Terminus before its closing time, allowing us to beat yet another deadline.
Tuesday, witnessed a host of activities. Travelling from Gare de Lyon to Chatelet, followed by a three-station ride to Odeon, finally culminated at the final destination – Porte D’Auteuil. Hosting last year’s Rugby World Cup made the place familiar.
Reflecting on the tennis coverage from two decades ago, the grounds echo the early makings of a young tennis sensation named Rafa. Now, the main attraction is Boxing. The ever-present Roland Garros venue, sets the stage for Kellie Harrington in Philippe-Chatrier centre court.
With the Irish boxer featuring last in a line-up of seven fights, her fight is the only final. Billy Walsh, the former Irish boxing coach from 2012 London Olympics, has his US boxer Omari Jones’ match first up. Eddie Bolger, also hailing from Wexford and an ex-coach of the Irish team, now with Germany, looks forward to his fighter, Raman Tiafack competing in the 92kg semi-final. Ireland’s corner features Zaur Antia, a Georgian native, whereas Tricia Heberle from Australia heads the team as high performance director. The allure of opportunity and respect draws immigrants towards participation.
Upon claiming her gold medal, Kellie and her troupe embrace ecstatically on what is assumed to be the deuce court. As the double-gold medallist converses about her future and ordinary life, an intermittent cheer slices through the hushed conversations. Outside, the suburban red-light district paints an unusual landscape at 2.35am; an Uber awaits.
Wednesday, August 7th dawns to introduce more actions.
Navigating past the Stade de France towards Bourget, just one stop away from Chatelet on the RER B line. Should you overshoot Bourget, the next stop would be Drancy, a suburb positioned in the northeast. As stated by the Holocaust Encyclopedia, it’s worth noting that from the summer of 1942 to July of 1943, Drancy was the primary transit camp for the mass transportation of Jews from France. The camp was run by French police, under the purview of the German Security Police and SD, with an estimated 70,000 prisoners having been held there from August 1941 to August 1944.
Leaving the train at Bourget, approximately 800 metres must be covered on foot. An important point to remember, distances can be deceitful – triple the expected journey. Here lies the Site d’escalade Bourget with its five-story Olympic climbing wall. The Speed Climbing Women’s finals, acrobats suspended mid-air and threading their way up in a frighteningly efficient progression, resembling Gary Oldman’s notorious ascent of his castle walls in Francis Ford Coppola’s “Dracula”. A surreal sight and somehow unnerving – humans scampering up walls of stone as though taking a leisurely stroll. The stakes were high with rewards promised to the winners.
Traveling past the Stade de France with Adeleke running, one can perceive the echo of a beleaguered Olympic Games on the verge of crumbling.
Fast forward to Thursday, August 8th – a day devoid of delightfully absent of travel. The morning is tranquil and the weather promises a radiant 27-degree day.
Leona Maguire and Stephanie Meadow are showcased at Le Golf Nationale. Unfortunately, Leona commences with a six on the first – her aspirations for a fairytale conclusion are dashed by an eight at the 9th hole. A revival seems but a distant fantasy.
The Gare de Lyon stands resplendent in the sunlight, resembling more the grandeur of a palace than a train station. But seasoned travellers know all too well the potential for a two-hour entrapment within its walls. Thus, we shy away, much like Gary Oldman being startled by a ray of sunlight in Francis Ford Coppola’s Dracula.
By some divine intervention, significant rainfall has yet to occur again. Consequently, the Seine is spared the influx of Paris’s infamously grimy drains. Daniel Wiffen’s last swim is scheduled for tomorrow, thankfully, he doesn’t face a battle with E.coli. Female swimmers edge tentatively along Pont Alexandre III today. Conjecture suggests the avoidance of a midstream current. Despite a $1.5 billion investment into the restoration of Seine, the only tangible returns seemingly are hopes that it stays dry.
While dining at Quai 33, a mature server offers an apology to the patrons while teaching a novice staff member the appropriate method of removing a cork from a wine bottle. The day concludes in an unpredictable manner by watching this scene.
The date was Friday, August 9th.
It was a direct journey to Franklin D Roosevelt. The Grand Palais shuttered in 2021 for refurbishment, preparing to unveil the Nave and the galleries for the Paris 2024 event. We navigated through scaffolding and century-old, brick interior walls leading to an atrium. Here, massive arches of cast iron, painted green, loomed overhead, supporting a glass roof 45m high.
Light softly filtered through fabric, illuminating this breathtaking forum. Here, the sports of Fencing and Taekwondo radiated an air of magnificence. We descended a winding staircase to emerge at Pont Alexandre III. The nearby Eiffel Tower overlooks the Seine, which hosts tiny disturbance on its surface, reminiscent of white avians. The Seine water flickers between shades of brown and bottle green.
A bespectacled Daniel Wiffen announces the average amount of E.coli found in a standard swimming pool during a TV interview. The swimmer maintains a racing cap atop his head as he proceeds down the mixed zone, stating he intends to party for three continuous days. His spirits seem high following a gruelling 10k swim.
With the conclusion of Wiffen’s Olympics, theres a noticeable air of accomplishment around him. Before 11am, we drift back through the glowing splendour of the Grand Palais, navigating towards the Champs-Elysées and crossing the Place de la Concorde.
Our final destination is Gare de Lyon from Palais Royal Musee du Louvre, a mere five stops away.