How are Parisians reacting to the Olympics?

DW (English)

While some in the French capital are enjoying Olympic fever, others feel excluded from normally accessible sites and resent the disruption to their daily lives.

Transcript

00:00This couple has come from the southern city of Toulouse to see the Games and Paris' new

00:06temporary landmark.

00:09The hot air balloon symbolises the Olympic fire in the historic Tuileries Gardens.

00:16The new installation rose to fame during the Games opening ceremony.

00:20The ceremony was so beautiful, we instantly tried to get tickets to see the balloon from

00:26up close.

00:28Mathieu Le Haneur is the designer of the balloon and the Olympic torches which brought

00:33the fire here.

00:34It's a symbol of freedom.

00:37If you ask people to draw a picture of freedom, they would draw a bird, a hot air balloon

00:42or something that flies.

00:44The time slots for a close look at the balloon are already sold out, but several online petitions

00:50are now asking for it to stay on after the Games.

00:54Each evening, the balloon is sent up into the sky, but we don't have time to wait

00:59for this.

01:00I've got other things to show you.

01:03The Olympics are making their mark across the city at iconic places such as the Place

01:08de la Concorde, the Trocadéro and the Eiffel Tower.

01:15Behind these wooden walls, beach volleyballers are giving it their all.

01:20There's no chance for even a sneaky peek though for people like me without a ticket.

01:25And I can't even go to the Champ de Mars, the lawn just over there, to have my traditional

01:31summer picnic.

01:33Taxi drivers meanwhile complain the Olympics are not bringing them gold and are asking

01:38the government for compensation for lost income.

01:41All the Parisians have left the city and the tourists prefer walking.

01:46They don't take taxes.

01:49The River Seine has become a giant swimming pool for the Olympic Triathlon, despite concerns

01:54over high levels of faecal bacteria.

01:57Thanks to the Olympics, there are plans to open permanent swimming zones in the river

02:01next year.

02:03This will be one of those sites, right over there.

02:07But to be honest, I don't think I'm going to hop in if I'm not sure the water is clean

02:13enough.

02:16I might just enjoy watching the swimmers from here.

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