During our time at the Olympic Games, I loved checking out the team houses of all the different countries where athletes and their fans could come together and watch the competitions or enjoy some hospitality. The central place where many of these houses were located was in the ‘Parc de la Villette,’ which we could conveniently reach with the metro from our hotel without switching the lines. Here are the top 3 houses, in my opinion, in no particular order:
On our first day, a group of us went to Poland House to watch the opening ceremony because a classmate’s roots are Polish. All the people there were incredibly friendly to us, even if we were almost the only non-Polish guests for that evening. They offered small bites to eat, and at a ticket price of only 30 euros, all the food and drinks were included. The special guests of the evening were the Looney Tunes characters, who also handed out bunny ears to everyone. The whole house was vibrant with excitement for the start of the games, and when we saw the Polish team coming down the Seine on the big live screen, an enormous roar filled the house. That evening was the best way to kick off our time in Paris.
Another house that I loved was the Dutch house. I already heard before the games that it has been the favorite of many people in the past, and I can confirm that the setup this year was fantastic, too. The main area was an arena where a DJ always played dance music in the evenings. Throughout the evening, they also welcomed Dutch medal winners on stage, where everybody cheered for them and even carried them on their hands through the crowd. The whole area was one big party zone, and you could tell that everybody had a good time there.
Besides these two, my third favorite house was Maison Suisse. With their team sponsor ON that focuses on running shoes and gear, the entrance was designed as a running track, and the whole area was located outdoors. When we went there, we got lunch and some real Swiss ice cream afterward as dessert. Other people ordered hot dogs that were freshly made on a little campfire in front of the house. Moreover, I think the Swiss team and fan uniform was the prettiest of the games, and I also got a shirt for myself.
Even if these three were my favorites, all the other houses we visited had their charm, too. You could see that all the houses that were open to the public were proud of presenting their nation, no matter how big or small that country is.