Yesterday was the anniversary of the storming of the Bastille -- what the French consider the official start of the French Revolution. They call it Fete Nationale (or National Holiday).
The day started with President Sarkozy leading off a military parade.
We decided to stay home and watch it on TV. We were really glad that we did, since we could see all the overhead formations. If we'd been there, Ella and I wouldn't have even been able to see over anyone's head!
That video clip only shows a band doing formations, but the horses that ushered in Sarkozy actually had a whole routine, too! It was really amazing. They trotted by our apartment on the way to the parade with a street cleaner behind to clean up the droppings.
Once Sarkozy was seated and the horses did their thing, they brought in the jets. Shortly after seeing them on TV, they flew right in front of our window. AWESOME!
Many Parisians go directly from the parade to the Champs de Mars near the Eiffel Tower. They pick a spot to view the fireworks and picnic all day. We contemplated doing this, but really, we don't like big crowds that much (we're talking 700,000 people). Plus we didn't have supplies ... no blanket and no cooler. And a whole day in the sun isn't really high on our list either. Oh, and did I mention that after the fireworks very few Metros are running, and those that are running are a mob scene?
So instead, we took a little 20-minute walk at 10:15 p.m. We went to the Pantheon which is on a hill with a direct view of the Eiffel Tower. The only thing is that it's about 3 miles from the Eiffel Tower, so no music and no big booms.
We stood with maybe 150 people and watched the show from our hilltop perch. We were home within 1/2 hour of the ending. This is what the finale looked like, and it didn't really look any different from 3 miles away!
So it was a very successful holiday for our family ... minimal crowds, no fuss and still lots of fun! This is how we do it!!
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