Olympic Cauldron and Balloon

In the evening, I took the Metro to Madeleine, the station at Place de la Concorde being shut due to the temporary Olympic stadium, and walked to the Jardin des Tuileries to see the Olympic cauldron and balloon as well as the Olympic rings in front of the Pyramid in the courtyard of the Louvre., and the Arc de Triomphe du Carrousel.
There was a rain shower so I quickly went into a cafe for dinner. The TV was showing the Olympic football final with Spain defeating France 5:3 which didn't go down well with the locals.
The Jardins became very crowded with picnicers and spectators as the time approached 22.00 when the Olympic balloon rose which was a great sight against the night sky.
It took a while to exit the Jardins because of the crowd, and then return to the hotel by the same route as I'd taken earlier.Read more