PARIS – The Eiffel Tower proved mortal Friday night.
It sparkled, dazzled and delighted during a light show near the end of the opening ceremony at the Paris Olympics. But it could not stop the rain – or stop the grumbling among hordes of people who gathered near the tower’s base on the left bank of the Seine for the much-awaited opening ceremony.
The major gripe: You couldn’t see a darn thing.
A secure perimeter at the tower prevented those without VIP passes from witnessing the athletes’ boat parade on the Seine River or the stage show on the other side of the tower from where the unticketed masses stood.
“A problem,’ one man grunted, and soon he was seen exiting with five small children.
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The news was just as grim for those who expected to be able to take an elevator to the top of the 984-foot tower itself.
“Unpleasantly surprised,’ is how Mikaela Gibson of Los Angeles described the experience.
Here are the winners and losers from the opening ceremony.
WINNERS
The Eiffel Tower
It rained. People grumbled. And through it all, the tower stood tall and shined.
At 10:57 p.m., the light show commenced.
The tower sparkled.
Then looked blood red.
Moments later looked ice blue.
Then resembled a haunted house as light and shadow mixed within the awesome structure.
Also, over the course of four hours, the crowd must have taken thousands of selfies – and the Eiffel Tower never asked for a dime.
The hardy
The opening ceremony ended at 11:30 p.m., but the crowd looked to be in no hurry to leave. Anwar Hussain Nobin, 25, stood under the Ma Douce awning and said, ‘Everyone’s waiting until 12 o’clock.’
Midnight, he explained, was when a potential fireworks show would begin. An Olympic-sized fireworks show, that is.
There were no fireworks, but there were cheers – a sound that filled the air when at midnight, the Eiffel Tower sparkled again for about five delicious minutes.
Ma Douce
The snack stand was a beacon of nourishment – at least for those not committed to a low-carb diet. Warm waffles drizzled with chocolate sauce. Beignets, crepes and pancakes. Nutella galore.
All and more were among the offerings – perhaps enough to briefly pacify those unhappy spectators who couldn’t see the dang opening ceremony as they’d been promised, and spent months dreaming they would!
The two proprietors selling the food looked as pleased as those consuming it as euros traded hands.
Seven euros for the crepes.
Six euros for fromage (pancakes filled with cheese, strawberries and bananas).
Five euros for chocolat viennois (think nespresso).
LOSERS
The Misinformed
Claudio Lima Filho of Brazil snuggled next to his girlfriend under an umbrella near the base of the Eiffel Tower. The romantic-looking moment belied Filho’s feelings while he was unable to watch the ceremony.
He said he would not have come to Paris if he’d known in advance.
“I’ve been to Paris four times, and every time I don’t like it,’ he said. “Now I hate it.’
Yes, Filho and his girlfriend could have bought tickets. But even many ticket-holders were seen leaving the ceremony early, and one father and son told USA TODAY Sports that their view of the boat parade was limited and the umbrellas made it even more difficult to see.
Ma Douce
When the rain fell harder, sales appeared to drop. Not because the food was any less delicious, but because spectators huddled under the snack stand’s awning to stay dry.