It’s been more than a year since the Olympics electrified France and the rest of the world. The French are keeping the Olympic spirit alive by sending the cauldron, known here as the Vasque, up into the night sky throughout the summer. They will do so for the next two summers, until the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.

The cauldron rises as the sun sets, an alternative light, an unearthly sight floating above the Tuileries. When I first glimpsed it I thought of the UFOs I used to read about as a child — strange hovering craft.

The Vasque hovers too, because it’s tethered. But it is most decidedly of Earth. And of Paris. Stylish, elegant, no more nor less than it needs to be.

Built to promote sustainable energy, the Vasque creates a flame without combustion by projecting mist and light. It’s advertised as a “flame without fire.”

We found a front-row seat by slipping into a café on the Rue de Rivoli, where I sipped tea and snapped this shot. A perfect night for the Vasque. A perfect night, period.