Sorry I didn’t post yesterday! I don’t think I had the words! What a day! It was very emotional to see the USA women’s soccer win the gold medal, and stay for the medal ceremony.

I had a great seat – just off center. There was a knowledgeable man next to me who spoke English, and I learned a lot listening to him as the game progressed.

When USA won, I couldn’t believe it! Suddenly the game was over. Extra time had run out — and the final score was the final score.

The medal ceremony was to follow and they entertained the crowd with singing as they assembled and readied the platforms. I have to say that singing « Sweet Caroline » never sounded so good, so good, so good. To hear it sung with a French accent is amazing.

As I left the stadium among thousands, the stars and striped draped over my arm, I was suddenly approached by a camera crew. They were British and they represented the Olympic Broadcasting Service. They wanted to interview me. What? OK. What was I getting into here, I wondered. But I had a big grin on my face and was happy to participate. It was NOT a fluff interview. This is a serious sports channel. I have no idea when it aired. At the end, they asked me to pose with my flag and be enthusiastic – which was not hard. Just hoping I didn’t sound like an idiot.

And today, I’m off to see the Gold Medal round of women’s basketball. 🏀

USA and FRANCE – my two favorites.

Et je suis là à l’arène de Bercy!

OK – obviously (!) I couldn’t post during THAT match because it was close from the first bucket to the last. OMG!

Also, the noise level and cheering by the French in the audience was beyond overwhelming and beyond anything I’ve ever experienced. And I’m from Philly, where fans are known to be loud and obnoxious. In other words, I’ve seen it before, so when I tell you I have NEVER seen anything close to this, I mean it.

The sound decibels reached 105. I was literally holding my ears at certain points. My watch kept buzzing with noise alerts. It was insane. And when I say they were nonstop, I mean it.

Here’s my negative: there wasn’t a lot of Olympic Spirit in the room. It was VERY one-sided, and I think everyone collectively forgot it was the Olympics.

I don’t know if I’ve ever felt more alone. Sitting there with my American flag, I felt like I didn’t see one for miles. Not until France lost this game of steal and foul (seriously!) did I see the Stars and Stripes, because the French had finally stopped waving theirs for a hot minute.

I did not hear ONE “USA” chant. And when has THAT ever happened? lol! When has the USA ever looked demure at a sporting event?

This guy, yeah, I never saw him again. He was so lost in the crowd of bleu, blanc, et rouge!

But in the end… the heart-stopping one-point win…

I have never seen such beauty, organization, spectacle, and kindness exhibited, as I have these past two weeks in Paris. Helpers, guides, directions, protection and security, clarity, and on and on… I am stunned by how perfectly executed these events were in a VERY, VERY old city/country.

The stadium noise notwithstanding. I mean sports are going to sport sometimes. And maybe now I’ll be more sensitive to the NYers in the crowd at Philly games.

No, that’s not going to happen. <wink!>

What will my last days here bring? My tutor is off on vacation. We had our last session yesterday morning. I think now, I’ll just be a regular Parisienne, returning to normal summer life here. The Louvre and other venues will be more open again to the public. They want to keep the cauldron in the sky here, as it is beloved. There was talk of keeping the Olympic Rings on la Tour Eiffel, but personally, I hope they don’t do that. I would like to see Joan of Arc remain on her magic horse running down the Seine, maybe every night at midnight, but that’s just me.

As I had written, I had bought only two tickets and the USA women athletes brought home the Gold in both matches. Also, unbelievably, these two events included the Medal Ceremony, which is not usually the case. Medal Ceremonies were separate events/tickets. So I was really lucky.

Also, President Macron was in the HOUSE yesterday!