MARSEILLE, France (CN) — The Olympic torch made its way through Marseille on Thursday, a day after arriving in France on the three-masted Belem ship that sailed into the city's harbor on the sparkling Mediterranean against the backdrop of a clear blue sky.
Around 230,000 people crowded around the Vieux Port in what was a bona fide party throughout the day and night Wednesday to initiate the flame's two-and-a-half month tour around France and its overseas territories.
The idea is to showcase France’s history through its biggest sites; it will go to the châteaux in the Loire Valley, Mont Saint-Michel, the palace of Versailles and a myriad of other lesser-known monuments and small cities. There will be vineyards and concert halls on display. Overseas, the flame will travel to Guadeloupe, Martinique, Guyana, French Polynesia, New Caledonia and Réunion before looping back to continental France and ending its tour in Paris in time for the games.
Over 1,000 sailboats escorted the Belem around Marseille’s harbor on Wednesday. The ship is classified as a historical monument; it first set sail on trade routes in 1896 before passing through the hands of multiple owners, from the Guinness family to a Venetian count and the Italian gendarmerie. Crowds gathered along the coastline.
Keeping the flame burning throughout its two-week journey from Athens was a feat in itself. Three guards on the Belem watch over it 24 hours per day, according to a report by Le Monde. The fire is less than 1 inch high — before it’s transported to the torch — and stays in a small box with the wick changed about every two weeks, according to the report.
As the ship sailed around Marseille, one woman from eastern France was sitting on a bench gazing out at the sea. She’s such a fan of the Belem that she booked a hotel with views on it, just in case.
“I’m already a fan of the Olympics as I’m an old athlete, and for me it’s very moving to receive the flame in our country,” Christine told Courthouse News. “I’m particularly a fan of the Belem, because I want us to conserve these things of the past. … It was a very moving moment.”
As the Belem made its way into the port, the “Acrobatic Patrol” branch of the French Air Force swooped through the sky in a surprise show, leaving France’s national red, white and blue colors in the absence of clouds. People danced on the streets. Music blasted everywhere. Florent Manaudou, a French Olympic swimming champion, walked the flame from the boat to the port. He handed it off to Jul, a rapper from Marseille. President Emmanuel Macron was in attendance.
Crowds began to swell around 5 p.m. near the port, which was blocked off by a security barricade. Lines to enter, which involved a bag check and pat-down, stretched multiple blocks and moved slowly. Safety has been a major concern in the run-up to the Olympics, with Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin and local figures assuring the public that security will be as tight as possible. Over 6,000 officers were deployed in Marseille.
Everything went relatively smoothly, but Alonzo’s free concert was delayed due to crowds; people couldn’t find their way out, and at one point, some started running, prompting officials to call for calm. Jul surprised onlookers with a concert, but around 10:30 p.m., entry was blocked off, and people hung around the barricades to watch.
“I’ve never seen this many people on the Vieux Port … everyone in Marseille united for this and we got to see it,” Auban, a man working in a stand just off the port, told Courthouse News. “It was euphoric.”
“It was rich in emotion,” Sephora, a woman working alongside Auban, added.
Around 11 p.m., the streets around the port were still crowded, with numerous street-food carts set up. People of all ages peered through the makeshift fences to watch the show.
The Olympic flame, and its torch relay, pays homage to traditions borne from ancient Greece, and is lit ahead of the winter and summer games at the temple of Hera in Olympia. Its modern tradition dates back to the Berlin Games in 1936 when it embarked on a journey from Olympia through Europe, stopping in capitals from Sofia to Budapest on its route to Germany.
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