The second installment of last weekend, the biggest celebration that France has all year. To put that into context they have 35 minutes worth of fireworks on this day whereas on New Years they have none. This is the big one for them. To us it is known as Bastille Day in remembrance of the day when the Bastille Prison was stormed and although there were only seven prisoners to release it was a symbol of the empowerment of the people which lead to the Third Republic that we know today.
The day starts with a défilé down the Champs d’Elysée where all the various sectors of the military, navy and air force are involved. It is renowned especially for the airshow and the Champs d’Elysée is packed out with people who have travelled to see it … So I accidentally slept through all of that having been out until 6am the day before with a girl who designs for Marc Jacobs!!
You see the night of the 13th and the 14th the Bal des Sapeurs-Pompiers are the places to be. Every fire station is opened up for the public for big parties. Some are more popular than others with queues, of mainly young girls eager for the chance at pulling a young Fireman, all the way down the street.
When I did wake up I went to the Champs de Mars where I sat all afternoon watching the crowds grow gradually bigger and drunker as the day went on. I made friends with a couple more fashion girls who happened to be sitting next to me. Crazy coincidence I must have been attracting them or something …
At 9:30 it all kicked off with the Concert de Paris with Classical music by the Paris Symphony Orchestra and various soloists ending in a rousing chorus of the French National Anthem, which it turns out no one knows the second verse of, just like the English. After this very patriotic gestation to the French Nation there are the longest fireworks I think anyone has ever seen. They are set off behind the Eiffel Tower which is lit up and turned off in sequence. It was quite impressive and the last hoorah was amazing.
After that there was nothing to do, but walk all the way home as the Métro was packed. All I can say is that I felt quite patriotic for France that day.
No comments:
Post a Comment