Le Crillon - Part II

Mini photo blog of the french teams arrival back home (II from III.

So i kind of pushed my through the crowd snapping indiscriminately as i went :

The noise (i really can't emphasise this enough) was deafening with whistles, cheers, bongos, drums, people chanting and people just screaming their lungs out.

After about half an hour, there was a lull. I think people were starting to doubt that the heroes would show up. Kids were getting fractious at this point.

Out of the blue, a young woman started to sing the Marseillaise - in a very strong operatic voice - there was absolute silence from the crowd.

It was one of those hair sticky uppy on the back of the neck moments.

Absolutely brilliant.

When she'd stopped singing, the crowd errupted into a 'whoomph' of cheers, claps and cries of "encore, encore" ... fabulous.

She started singing again and a few people nearby started to join in quietly .. then more people joined in .. then more and more until everyone was singing the Marseillaise at full voice .. incredible and very emotional.

I managed to capture her on video for about 15 seconds.

But here's a photo of here in full flow.

Truly magnificent.



On t.v news tonight they showed her singing before the crowd joined in and we can see my mits holding my camera and clicking away - my hands are famous !!! A legend in their own lunch time, if you please