As the Paris Games approach, so does the Olympic torch.

Per tradition, the torch was lit on April 15 in Olympia, Greece, honoring the historical birthplace of the Ancient Olympic Games, which date back to 776 BC.

Once lit, 600 torchbearers carried the flame through 41 Greek towns to the Panathenaic Stadium in Athens. From Athens, the torch boarded the “Belem,” a three-masted ship that dates back to 1896, the year of the first modern Olympic Games in Athens. The Belem transported the torch across the Mediterranean Sea to its eventual home in France.

After a few weeks at sea, the torch landed on French soil for the first time, as the Belem docked in the port city of Marseille on May 8.

Florent Manaudou, a French swimming legend who won 2012 Olympic gold in the men’s 50m freestyle, was the first recipient of the flame. He handed it off to French Paralympic sprinter Nantenin Keita, who won gold in the women’s 400m at the Rio Games.

From Marseille, the torch proceeded on a 68-day French journey that involved more than 10,000 torchbearers carrying the flame through over 400 towns and cities across France.

During the trek, the torch made stops in some of France’s most idyllic spots, including Canigou and the Verdon Regional Natural Park, plus a handful of national parks and forests.

Additionally, the torch crossed the Atlantic, Indian and Pacific Oceans as part of the “Oceans Relay,” reaching six overseas French territories: Guyana, Guadeloupe, New Caledonia, Martinique, French Polynesia and Reunion Island.

The Olympic flame’s journey wouldn’t have been complete without a few spots in France’s sports meccas, including the Simonne-Mathieu court at Roland-Garros and Geoffroy-Guichard Stadium.

The torch reached Paris on July 14 and will spend the coming days touring the French capital before arriving on the Seine for the Opening Ceremony, the first in history to take place outside of a stadium.

The Olympic flame dates back to the 1928 Amsterdam Games, where a symbolic fire was lit in a cauldron and put on display atop the Olympic Stadium.

Eight years later, at the 1936 Berlin Olympics, the torch relay was born. The flame was lit in Olympia and transported to Berlin, kicking off the Olympics and a tradition that has since spanned the globe.

Since Berlin, the flame has traditionally been lit in Olympia and transported by runners to Athens before embarking on its trip to the host nation.

The torch has cruised on ships, scaled mountains, trekked through rainforests and been hoisted by some of the world’s most recognizable figures. The relay has also represented a chance for that year’s Olympic organizers to showcase a theme central to their mission, including:

• The Relay of Peace — 1948 London Olympics: The 1948 relay was billed as a message of peace in a Europe torn by World War II. The first runner, Corporal Konstantinos Dimitrelis, ripped off his military uniform and laid down his arms before carrying the torch.
• The Ancient Relay — 1960 Rome Olympics: For the Rome Olympics, the relay highlighted ancient sites in Greece and Italy. This was also the first relay to air on TV and was thus followed step-by-step around the globe.
• The Relay to the New World — 1968 Mexico City Olympics: The relay in 1968 retraced the steps Christopher Columbus took to the New World in 1492. A direct descendant of Columbus, Cristobal Colon de Carvajal, was the final torchbearer in Spain before it set off for Mexico.
• The “Down Under” Relay — 2000 Sydney Olympics: The Sydney Olympic relay visited 12 countries in Oceania before arriving in Australia. In Australia, the torch relay kicked off at the “red centre” at Uluru (also known as Ayer’s Rock), a sacred site for Australia’s Aboriginal population. Aboriginal athlete Nova Peris, an Olympic champion in field hockey, was the first relay runner. She went on to become an Australian Senator from 2013-16.
• The Relay to the Eleonas Camp — 2016 Rio Olympics: The Rio Olympic relay was geared to drawing the world’s attention to the growing plight of refugees across the globe. In Athens, the torch was carried by a refugee through the Eleonas camp for refugees and migrants before setting sail for South America.