The problem with hosting the biggest outdoor party Paris has ever seen is that it sometimes rains.
Quite a bit, even.
From the base of the Eiffel Tower to the city's sidewalk cafes and public squares, tourists, Olympic fans and Parisians took to the heavily policed streets on Friday for a night of fun, anticipation and togetherness.
Some 300,000 people were able to watch the opening ceremony, the first to be held on the banks of the Seine rather than inside a stadium, but thousands more were left stranded outside the guarded gates.
The plan was to do everything I could: maybe catch a few notes of a song, maybe watch the fireworks, maybe watch the show on my phone while enjoying the evening on a park bench.
Near the Eiffel Tower, groups of Mexican and Brazilian fans playfully teased each other, old men played bocce, couples shared bottles of wine, fathers bought bread for their children to feed the pigeons, women posed for photographs.
Excitement was building even among the apathetic locals. Many roads were closed so the city was theirs. The Olympic energy was palpable in the air. This was the start of something big, even if you couldn't see what was going on.
Then it started to rain. Heavy rain.
The crowd began to disperse. Some gathered at the corner bar to watch TV. Some hid under trees. Others went home. Of course, many stood their ground.
Their hair and clothes will dry. The Olympics won't be restarting anytime soon.
