The 14th of July- Bastille Day

I was thrilled to be in Paris on the 14th of July, which we Americans call “Bastille Day”. To make the celebration even more memorable, my sister and her family were here, too. We watched a little of the parade on the Champs Elysees, strolled the Tuileries (including the carnival- whoop!), make a quick spin in the Louvre (saw the Mona Lisa and used the bathroom), walked on the river bank and then watched the fireworks at 11:00 pm. Did I mention that we were pretty tired when we went to bed that night?

I walked up to the Champs Elysees at 9:30 AM, hoping to snag a view of open sky for the fly overs. I stood at a traffic circle that I thought would be directly below the flight path. I also had a small window of parade view. Sadly, the planes flew directly over the trees I was standing beneath, and I saw nothing at all of them. Mark, however, walked to the parade after it had started and got some great pics. Go figure.

It’s a rare day when you can walk down the middle of the Champs Elysees with no cars to dodge.

I never miss the ferris wheel when it appears in the Tuileries.

That evening we took a walk on the Seine before going to watch the fireworks.

Some good friends invited our entire motley crew to watch the fireworks from their apartment balcony. It was a good place to be.

Paris is always a good idea. But particularly on the 14th of July!