This is a big day in France, beginning with a military parade down the Champs-Elysees with tanks, marching units from every military branch, and lots of pomp and circumstance. We watched a lot of it on TV, since I knew I could hardly get a glimpse of it in the crowds. We did see, however, the jets, helicopters, and even the skydivers from our window, as they descended in front of President Sarkozy at the Plaza de Concorde.....
(well, those specks are the paratroopers.....it looked more impressive on television!)
Eric, Lyle, and I took the 2-hour walk with a guide who explained the beginnings of the Revolution, places of secret meetings, and tiny streets where it all began. But the most memorable part of the day was the celebration at the Champ de Mars, in front of the Eiffel Tower, which is walking distance. So, we headed out after dinner, prepared to sit down and watch the concert before the fireworks. Wow....were we in for a surprise. The blocked-off streets should have given us a clue, but we had no idea that there would be thousands of people packed on that lawn.....probably many had their spots reserved all day! We squeezed in to hear the end of a song by James Blunt......
....and then listened with the "standing-room-only" crowd to many other singers, many of them I recognized from the radio, but have no idea who they are! We stood for a few hours, listening to the concert, waiting for it to get dark so that the show could be begin.....
It finally was dark enough at about 10:45, and we were awestruck by the beautiful fireworks blasting off behind the Eiffel Tower. It was absolutely stunning, even if we had to watch it over thousands of heads!
This was a time when you wished you had one of the big expensive cameras and a tripod (and some people did!)....Adam......you should've been there!!!
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