Finding a spot in the media stands wasn’t a problem as I sat alone in a row that could fit 15 people. However, to my pleasant surprise, the rest of the arena was full. The lively, engaged fans certainly added to my interest in the action on the pitch. So did the public address announcer who seemed to be taking on the role of DJ.

The exciting atmosphere, combined with the frequency of goals, made watching handball essentially one big party. The sport is like a mix of basketball, football and water polo, but I found none of the athletic elements were as compelling as the atmosphere.

Getting to my second event was effortless because the Olympic organizers transformed the Paris Expo, an exhibition and convention center, into three venues, so I could get to South Paris 4 without ever stepping foot outside.

Next up was the women’s singles quarterfinals of table tennis, another sport where some people (like US basketball player Anthony Edwards) are foolish enough to think, “I can totally do that.” But table tennis played at home is completely different from table tennis at the Olympics.

The speed at which the ball moved was mesmerizing. Each point was often over in two or three seconds, so you could hear the crowd’s anticipation building during the longer rallies. The way China’s Chen Meng, the gold medalist and the world’s fourth-ranked female player, crushed Austria’s Sofia Polcanova in four straight games was impressive.

The one-sided match lasted only 30 minutes, so I headed to Arena 1 South Paris shortly after to watch the end of the women’s volleyball qualifying round match between Turkey and the Dominican Republic.

After eliminating all three venues in the 15th arrondissement, I took a train to a cluster of venues closer to La Seine. The clear signage from Paris organizers — all Olympic-related directions and information are labeled in pink — made getting around pretty easy. Not having to wait more than four minutes for a train (ahem, MBTA) definitely helps, too.

As I reached my seat to watch my fourth event, archery, I took a moment to appreciate the view. The top half of the Eiffel Tower was visible behind the stands across from me. The golden Pegasus statues atop the columns of the Pont Alexandre III bridge stood tall to my right. The Hôtel des Invalides, where Napoleon Bonaparte’s tomb lies, was to my left. This magnificent open-air venue was a welcome change after spending so much time in a convention center.

There were many more empty seats in the stands, and the sun and heat likely played a factor in the limited turnout. I watched Team USA’s Jennifer Mucino and Brady Ellison in their individual matches as they meticulously fired their arrows at a target 70 meters (230 feet!) away. Each match lasted about 10 minutes, making archery the fastest event of the day.

I then walked across the Pont Alexandre III bridge to the hedge-lined Grand Palais. The first thing that struck me when I walked in was the art nouveau architecture with its glass-vaulted domed roof and green cast-iron supporting structures.

My intention was to focus on Team USA, specifically Harvard’s Lauren Scruggs, but my attention quickly shifted to one of the four other matches taking place at the same time. France vs. Canada became the track to watch, not just because of the close score but also because of the crowd’s investment. Whenever France got any touches, the place erupted.

Note to self: If you want to watch an Olympic sport and have no interest in any of the athletes or teams participating, you should choose the game, match, or race that features the host city’s country.

Then I headed to the Place de la Concorde, where Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette were guillotined during the French Revolution. Now, it hosts 3×3 basketball.

After five minutes of watching Team USA vs. Australia, I realized this was going to be the worst viewing of the day. Both the remaining time and the score were extremely hard to see, only visible in small print in the upper left corner of the video boards. Also, it was hot. And, frankly, boring.

The lunch I bought here was also terrible. Signs promoting the plant-based concession offerings — the slogan was “Veni, vidi, veggie” — convinced me to try the €11 veggie hot dog, which was the worst thing I’ve eaten in Paris so far.

I continued on my way, taking the metro and visiting two venues further north: La Chapelle Arena for the men’s singles badminton Round of 16 and the Aquatic Center for the men’s water polo qualifying round.

France was competing in both sports so I knew I would be excited.

In badminton, you’d think a medal was at stake with the crowd’s reaction to every point between France’s Toma Junior Popov and Malaysia’s Lee Zii Jia. One fan even brought a banner that said “Thank you LZJ” and held it up every time Lee made a simple mistake.

The water polo crowd screamed as France scored a last-quarter equaliser against Australia.

Neither contest ended the way France wanted it to. But the crowds still lived up to expectations, with roars, sighs, cheers, applause, face painting and French flags of all sizes. Whatever the fans did, they did it with enthusiasm.

Badminton and water polo brought my total to eight events. I considered going into judo and then field hockey, eventually deciding to visit the Bercy Arena for the women’s gymnastics all-around final.

I knew this would take up a significant amount of time, but I felt I had to make the effort to include a significant event. Plus, how could I turn down the chance to watch American stars Simone Biles and Sunisa Lee for the first time?

I couldn’t be happier with my choice.

The drama for the bronze medal was breathtaking. Just 0.034 points separated Lee, Italy’s Alice D’Amato and Algeria’s Kaylia Nemour going into the final rotation, so watching Lee land her first somersault pass was astounding. Biles’s incredible floor routine to win the gold was unlike anything I’d ever seen. (And the chocolate crepe I got from the buffet made up for my earlier food excuse.)

I took the train once again for my final event, this time to the Eiffel Tower Stadium to watch Team USA’s Kristen Nuss and Taryn Kloth take on China’s Chen Xue and Xia Xinyi in the women’s beach volleyball qualifying round.

This media entrance was the hardest to find, but it was worth the search. When I finally reached my seat, the combination of the sand, the Olympic rings, and the Eiffel Tower created the best view of the day.

As the clock struck 10:30 p.m., I found myself checking back on some of the athletes I had seen earlier in the day. I saw that Team USA had won the gold medal in the women’s team fencing event. I looked to see when Ellison would compete next. Even without the qualifying bets, seeing the athletes’ emotional reactions increased my investment.

The match was called off in the second set due to rain, so I went back to the hotel during the delay.

My final stats: 10 events, 28,000 steps, and a tired but satisfied reporter.

Nicole Yang can be reached at [email protected]. Follow her @nicolecyang.