Bastille Day in Paris

Bonjour,

Wow, how can it already be July! As we approach the celebration of our nation’s birth, I thought it might be fun to recap how the French do a similar celebration in Paris on July 14. It goes by many names Quatorze Juillet (14 July), Le Fete du Nationale, or Bastille Day. Oh, what fun times we have had experiencing this holiday.

It starts at 10:30 in the morning with the huge parade on Le Champs Elysées where we have stood for hours. In later years, we have learned to bypass that endeavor and just go to one of the bridges to watch the fly by, streaming the colors of the French flag. Bernie remembers standing to watch the parade when he was 8, 9 years old.

Three or four years ago, someone goofed and loaded the dyes incorrectly. It was shocking when the locals saw this! It was the talk of the town all day.

In earlier years, the parade used to break up partially on rue St. Antoine, and we would go sit at our favorite cafe to watch. Nowadays, that’s not possible because of all the bike lane crazies.

The fireworks are shot from the Eiffel Tower as soon as it gets dark which is not until 11pm. They are visible throughout much of the city. People line the river in droves and the crowd and jammed subways can be quite scary. The best mode of operation is to book one of the dinner cruise boats or go to one of the rooftop restaurants. We’ve done some of all and have fabulous memories. It’s quite expensive, however, and you must book far in advance.

Enjoy these from years of photos from both Bernie and me.

So whether it’s red, white and blue or bleu, blanc, rouge, the joy is the same. The connections between the two countries are filled with history and camaraderie ; maybe that’s why I feel so at home there. Of course, Paris IS Bernie’s hometown!!

Happy Fourth to everyone! Be safe and stay cool.

L&B