Bastille Day: post the first

Finally, I got to experience Bastille Day in France!

La fête nationale marks the storming of the Bastille prison, symbolic of the triumph of the people, rather than the release of the seven prisoners, including the mad English ones. While the Bastille is long gone, the event commemorated lives on as a symbol of French democracy in the collective imagination. And France, more than anywhere else, knows how to throw a national party.

Le défilé militaire, the military parade, takes place on the Champs-Elysées and up past Place de la Madeleine, where Meg and I found ourselves.

Despite the predictable crowds (and a ten minute queue just to get out of the metro station), we found a spot where we could just about see, and it was a beautiful day if we had to be hanging around outside. Meg had brought cards so we played a game of Fish, Go Fish, or Poisson (depending on your cultural leanings). In addition, we heard a familiar accent from behind Meg and, using all her friendliness and social skills that I so lack, found that they were a Scottish and English couple who now lived in South Carolina, wanted to go to Provence to see lavender, and had a liking for Victor Hugo. Small world. We chatted to them for a while before the parade got underway.

Even before the marching began, there was a fly past by the air force. Here’s how it looked from where we were.

Thrilling, non?

Here are a few pictures of the marching.

There were several marching songs going on.

The foreign legion (greatly applauded) even brought a band.