Judy Hayward
Vive Paris!
July 26, 2024
Whenever I visit a new city, I try to find a way to view it by boat because it is a revealing way to enjoy its buildings, streetscapes, and industrial sites. I find I can begin to understand what makes each a unique place with its own identity It makes me feel smaller than the past, present and future, allowing me to pay my respect to those who went before, those alive today, and to the future whatever may come.
As I sit here watching the opening ceremony of the Paris Olympics, it brought me back to Paris when I visited there 40 years ago. I remember the walkways along the Seine, the heroic monuments, Notre Dame, the Louvre, the streets, Rodin’s home, and the people.
I admire the French people for holding their opening ceremony along the river, amid Paris’s great buildings, bridges, and monuments. I can feel the joy of the world’s greatest athletes coming together on boat after boat. Their joy is contagious, and something the world needs right now. From the opening sequence of drone shots to the theatrical performances by real people in real time performing in historic settings, the architectural backdrop of the city is thrilling, as it is every day for residents and visitors alike.
We are witnessing the power of well-designed buildings, bridges, boulevards, parks, and waterways to inspire, and we are part of a world-wide audience. If I, as a mere viewer on my laptop, am caught up in the excitement of the moment, imagine what the athletes feel.
I admire the French for including some temporary installations amid historic settings. Can you imagine a volleyball court at the base of the Eiffel Tower? What a bold idea- a pop-up stadium!
Some of the swimming events will take place in the Seine and there will be equestrian events at Versailles.
The staging of performance art using opera, theater, heavy metal, popular music, and dance along the river shows that historic settings convey the power of place for all generations.
Thank you, Paris. Once again you have shown us why you are the City of Light.
Judy L. Hayward spends her days pursuing a passion for historic architecture and the ways in which it can be reused to sustain and grow healthy communities. She develops courses in partnership with builders, architects, traditional craftspeople and others to teach both historic preservation and traditional building skills. She has one foot in the nonprofit world as executive director of Historic Windsor and the Preservation Education Institute and the other foot in the world of media and information services as education director for the Traditional Building Conference Series and Online Education Program.
