Wednesday July 14, 2010 Bastille Day!
Got up early, had breakfast, cleaned up after ourselves, packed and said good-bye to our temporary apartment in Paris. It was a wonderful place near to many attractions and cheap when you consider that dinner for four at a grocery store was 25 euros, and a dinner out at restaurant would be close to 60 or 80.
A tube ride with transfers got us to a new neighborhood nearer the Eiffel Tower with a room at the Holiday Inn Express—breakfast NOT included. The ride was accomplished smoothly but the hotel neighborhood seemed a bit more remote than Neil had expected. We checked our bags at the front desk since we were too early to check into our room and headed for the parade.
We travelled by metro above ground for much of the way and arrived at the Arc de Triomphe station. The barricades directed the people back to the previous station. Apparently, the French military & police didn’t want people coming up in the middle of their military vehicles. There were mobs of people coming from all kinds of trains that were coming into the station. With the mob we made it to the street’s surface to find more and more barricades directing people where the guards wanted us. Along the side streets military equipment of all kinds was lined up waiting for the parade that was supposed to start at 10. It was now about 10:45. The fly over was scheduled for after the parade. However, all of a sudden a group of three planes went over with the red, white, and blue vapor trails. Then we had more planes and more planes and more planes and more planes. We were in a small square and had an awesome view of the planes. Neil can put in a paragraph about the planes.
Then the rain started, and I do mean rain, like a downpour. We found the raincoats and umbrellas and an overhang like the thousands of other people taking refuge. When the rain let up a bit, we went in search of a spot from which to watch the parade because we had now figured out they had done the flyover first and the parade second. We found a spot near the beginning of the parade and were only about 3 people back from the front….it was a good spot. We let Neil have the camera, and he took lots of pictures.
The parade was military vehicles….four abreast. There were tanks, guns, boats on trailers, more tanks, and tanks with guns. There were trucks, trucks with guns, boats with guns. Perhaps you can tell Neil will be more suited to describing the parade. There were no bands and no floats. The Bastille Day Parade is definitely military. The French people were relatively quiet and respectful until the firemen from Paris brought up the rear of the parade. Apparently the people of Paris have a very special relationship with their firemen. When the firemen and their vehicles pass there is much clapping and shouting for them. On the eve of Bastille Day the local fire stations each have parties and dances for the people of Paris which last well into the early morning hours.
On each of the vehicles, fighting or supply or command or whatever, there were young French soldiers or sailors in spotless uniforms with automatic weapons dressed sitting rigidly at attention. It mattered not if it rained or shined. On our way to the parade route we were in a somewhat large square when the French air force staged its fly-over. First were six fighters with red white and blue smoke trailing from the wings. Then more fighters, then a refueling jet with fighters near the refueling hoses, then an AWACs plane with smaller jets around it. Then some more aircraft, prop driven patrol craft, small transports which were flying very close to the ground as they passed our great vantage point. Then it began to drizzle, and the flyover ended for a while. We watched the parade, not the entire parade since we did not see the marching units near the front but we saw lots and lots of vehicles. As Nancy said the fire fighters were the last to pass, and the rain picked up again. As we were making our way toward a metro stop we saw the last of the fly-over, helicopters of several types, in formations, and then parachutists from some of the helicopters. Each parachutist carrying the flag of a former colony and when they landed in the Place de la Concorde, they joined together. We didn’t see that in person; it was on television in the café we dropped into.
We decided to try get a bit away from the Champs before trying to get a Metro Station, so we went walking. Another downpour, and I do mean deluge. We decided to find lunch and a place to dry out. We stopped in a café which had tapas. Neil and I had never had tapas, so we decided to get four tapas and share. We also got four coffees….two with milk. The coffees were in tiny little demitasse cups…Those were 3 Euros each. The two with milk were 5 Euros each. The tapas we received were smaller than the ones the other patrons received…..think there was some “taking advantage of the tourists” going on…. We continued our walk toward a tube station with no rain. Oops, spoke too soon. It started raining so hard that the gutters in the streets filled. We stood in a fairly substantial doorway to an apartment building and still had to use the umbrellas…It was wet….. It finally let up, and we made our way to the tube station with no more rain.
We reached our stop and made our way to the steps to street level….more rain…we caught up with the storm….again. When it let up, we stopped at a grocery for some snacks to take back to the hotel. As we came out the next phase of pouring rain arrived. We just took off…..once you are soaked, how much wetter can you get?
After a wee rest, Jess and Pete decided to go exploring some more. Neil wanted to take a nap, so we stayed in the room. I am getting very good at Sudoku puzzles…I do can many without writing down cheat numbers. Pete and Jess returned a few hours later with a story about getting to the Eiffel Tower and finding no line to buy tickets, they bought tickets and up the stairs they went to the first and second levels. They have some awesome pictures which they are going to share with us. Apparently in all of the downpours and the thunder and yes, the lightning, they close the tower…. They happened to arrive within a short time o.f the reopening.
Off to dinner….we were walking to the fireworks display. The fireworks were to be shot off between the Eiffel Tower and the Marine Museum and Aquarium. Thus, our backdrop for the fireworks included the Eiffel Tower. I get ahead of myself….we stopped at an Italian café with inside and outside dining….Most cafes do have this….we took a table outside. Neil, Pete, and Jess had various kinds of pizza. I had spaghetti Bolognese. Neil and I ordered a cappuccino to drink. Ok, who but dumb Americans wouldn’t know this is apparently a dessert drink. It came with an inch thick topping of whipped cream…real whipped cream. It was totally decadent.
We walked on down the hill to the plaza. We chose to stay out of the plaza proper, but we were across the street with thousands of others for the two hour wait until the fireworks were scheduled to start at 10:30. Being quite nimble, Pete and Jess scrambled up the side of the building to sit in one of the big window sills, setting precedence for others who were nimble enough to do it as well. The fireworks finally started at 11:00….Oh my, there is no way to describe them. They were magnificent, timed to music. We know they had at least two semis of fireworks shells. They were even grander than the one in the large cities in the states. The French did well. Pictures of fireworks do not take well on little cameras….at times like the fireworks is when I get envious of those many, many huge cameras I see people lugging about. The only small disappointment was that the Eiffel Tower interfered a little with our view. You can find pictures of the fireworks on the web.
The fireworks lasted 45 minutes to an hour…..I have no watch. I dropped it on the kitchen floor of the apartment last night, and it died. I am lost without my watch. Then the biggest mass of humanity that I have ever been a part of began to move. The mass took over the streets, the sidewalks, and all other available space and began to move as a unit away from the plaza and up the hill. Traffic from side streets and in the roundabouts had to come to a standstill. It was incredible. By the time we reached the last two blocks to our hotel we were the only people going our direction. By the way, it started raining as we crossed the last major road, so those two blocks were walked in the rain.
I don't think that I have gotten that wet that many times since we gave up camping at Crystal Lake.
Staying for Bastille Day was worth it. The French do know how to throw a party.
Steps: 20,583
Bastille Day sounds incredible! So glad that you decided to stay and enjoy the festivities.
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