Paris Olympics begins with a race of cafe waiters
Just like our School Sport's Day!
Remember that race in school where you hold a spoon in your mouth with a lemon on top of it? Or the race where you hop on one leg towards the finish line? Or the one where you and your friend hop into a sack and hobble towards the end line? The Olympics in Paris this year has a tradition something like that. Only these are for adults.
The waiters and waitresses in cafes in Paris get ready at the start line. They each hold a tray in their hands. The tray has a pastry (a croissant), a glass of water and a cup of coffee. When the whistle is blown, all of them race towards the finish line holding the tray in hand. The tricky part is that none of the contents of the tray can spill. Not even on the tray.
Hurrah! This race took place a few weeks ago in Paris, in a run-up to the summer Olympics. The participants walked super fast for 1.25 miles and the winner was someone who managed to get to the finish line without a drop of anything spilling (not even onto the tray!)
Come July, the Olympics will kick-start on the banks of the River Seine in Paris. Just like all of us clean our cupboards and pack our bags just the day before school opens, the city of Paris too is working vigorously towards cleaning the river Seine, in the absolute last minute! Volunteers are holding trash bags and picking pieces of unwanted plastics, bottles and garbage.
The Olympics has a range of swimming competitions and Paris hopes to host them in the River Seine (which assumes that no rubber tubes or discarded soda cans bump into the participants’ noses). On a more serious note, the Olympics committee has still not given the full go-ahead on whether the Seine can host the contests or if it has to be moved to a more boring swimming pool.
This is because people are a little afraid of the high pollution levels in the river. The marathon swim, the triathlon and the paratriathlon could be postponed or canceled. Also, France has planned a grand opening ceremony on a flotilla. If you haven’t seen one before, imagine a grand group of boats, all decked in finery and filled with people waving / dancing / performing. That’s the grand sight the city is planning for the Olympics this year. Hopefully the Seine has no floating bottles by then.
The most exciting news belong to the athletes who will participate in the Olympics this year
Guess what! For the first time ever, the athletes participating in the Olympics this year, will get something special. Can you guess what? I had two primary schoolers on a podcast episode and they came out with these 3 options. Which of them do you think is most likely true?
If you love riddles and also loves interesting stories, I’d say you should listen to the podcast episode to find out the CORRECT ANSWER. Go ahead and press that button right below. The two children and I explore and find out what is in store for athletes this year in Olympics. There is a surprise twist to it!
Also, do you like reading the Harry Potter book series? You are in for a treat. We will be reviewing the first book in the series - Harry Potter and Philosopher’s Stone. If you’d like to be a part of it, drop me a note here and I’ll add you to the list of kids that will join you in this review. It will be a swell ride! I promise :)
There’s one last announcement
For kids who like to read about myths and kings and queens - I will be recording a podcast series on the Queens who Ruled India. If you’d like to come and speak in this series, let me know by registering using the button below. Hurrah and have a swell day!