The Opening Ceremony For The 2024 Summer Olympic Games In Paris Are Here!

Well, the countdown is just about over here in Paris, as the media, fans, Athletes and police are gearing up for what is going to be a delightfully surprising opening night on July 26!

Here is a behind-the-scenes look at how the city – and NBC Sports – is getting ready for the greatest athletic competition in the world!

Kelly Clarkson has been here rehearsing with co-hosts Mike Tirico and Payton Manny for a long, live opening night ceremony! As you can see, here, they have been in these preparations with the show Producers – and there are a number of great moments that will wow you on the show tonight!

There are going to be big surprises all night long – and of course, a 4 mile long parade of barges going down the river Seine!

You see, for the first time ever, the Athletes will not gather in a stadium – but will be part of a boat parade down the river Seine in the center of Paris!

Here are a few of the barges being tested earlier this week:

Secruity is tight, but it’s a joyful atmosphere here…people are having a great time – although security was tight all week and we were only able to stand on the ONE bridge that was open crossing the river…

That was Wednesday and that bridge is all closed up now, but we took advantage to film lots of rehearsal!

There were stationary barges with what appeared to be skateboard or water skiing ramps – so look for some magical moments throughout the night on the river!

Roadblocks and security checks are all around the perimeter of the river, and you can’t get near the Eiffel Tower…this is the best I could do:

Yesterday, I was able to get close enough to see some of the sports venues set up near the Tuileries…which is completely shut down to the pubic as well:

However, up until today, if you went a few blocks inward away from he river, life was normal…although you had to get used to this sight:

Clearly, they were taking no chances, but the police and military were friendly and helpful – just eagle-eyed. And today, the barricades were up more than ever and you needed a pass to get into certain areas hear the ceremony:

Still, that wasn’t an issue for my wife Alex and her Boss Tracie Wilson from NBC – they were all smiles on the way to the event today:

They had all of the requisite Olympic passes – which they both still had to present along with their passports to get into the TV production zone:

And the Arc de Triomphe was packed with tourists – and lots of police as well:

Lots of streets were off limits to cars, but pedestrians were OK to walk around until Friday afternoon, when many neighborhoods shut down completely unless you had a ticket opening night:

These tourists however, decided it would be easier to walk down the MIDDLE of the Champs Elysees….best of luck to you!

Our first night, we saw a lit up Arc de Triomphe welcoming all to the city:

Not all of Paris was focused only on the Olympics of course…there was food food and more food as well!

I shared some of our food here – along with arguably the city’s greatest chicken dish – see it here:

It’s a great feast – no dessert necessary – and I love their unique potato cake so much I made it at home!

Yep, this is what I made and I love it – and you can make it too!

Here’s the recipe!

There is so much incredible food in Paris…like the “all pig all the time” restaurant!

This is an incredible pigs trotter at a restaurant that loves pigs – check out “Au Pied de Cochon” here!

If you like this story, please share with friends on social media – and you can sign up for all of my posts here:

https://johnrieber.com

Enjoy opening night of the 2024 Summer Olympic Games!

Categories: Exotic Travel, Memoirs, Paris, Pop Culture, Sports, Travel, Travel Adventures, Travel Memoir

Tags: 2024 olympic games, 2024 Paris summer olympic games, 2024 summer olympic games, 2024 summer olympics paris, Adventure Travel, adventurous cooking, At Home In Provence, Au Pied de Cochon, Au Pied de Cochon Paris, Au Pied de Cochon restaurant, baked potato dish, best bistros, best holiday potato dishes, best Parisian bistros, best Patricia Wells recipes, best potato dishes, best potato recipes, best provencal recipes, best wine regions french wine regions, bistros, bite eat repeat website, Bite! Eat! Repeat!, bite! eat! repeat! food stories, Bite!Eat!Repeat! webiste, Chef Antoine Magnin, Chez L'Ami Louis asparagus, Chez L'Ami Louis Chef Antoine Magnin, Chez L'Ami Louis chicken, Chez L'Ami Louis foie gras, Chez L'Ami Louis garlic potato cake, dark wood paneling, entertainment, Europe, exotic travel, famous chikcen dishes, Food, Food books, food memoirs, food reviews, Food writing, France, french food, garlic potato cake, Paris, Paris bistro, paris city of lights, Paris restaurants, Paris summer olympic games, Paris summer Olympic Games preparations, paris welcome, patrica wells, Patricia and Walter Wells, Patricia Wells, Patricia Wells Cookbooks, Patricia Wells cooking class, poulet roti, recipe, Recipes, Restaurants, sports, summer Olympic Games 2024, summer Olympic Games security, summer olympics opening night, travel, travel adventures, We've Always Had Paris...and Provence, wooden stove, world's best food, world's best restaurants, world's best roast chicken