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| I <3 Paris! Heart-shaped fireworks behind the Eiffel Tower. |
I have a friend, let's call him/her "A-nonymous," who thought that Bastille Day was Gay Pride Day in Paris. But of course, Bastille Day, known in France as Fête Nationale (National Holiday, French National Day) or Quatorze Juillet (Fourteenth of July), celebrates the storming of the Bastille prison in 1789 which ultimately lead to the 1st French Republic (we are currently in the 5th French Republic). It is roughly the French equivalent to America's 4th of July... mostly due to its use of fireworks!
A typical Quatorze Juillet celebration in Paris consists of watching the military parade down the Champs Elysées, a French picnic, drinking, and watching the fireworks near the Eiffel Tower. I found out that the French army has a branch called the "Vigi-pirate," the national alert system for terrorism, and "Régiment de dragons," which specializes in combat against nuclear, biological, and chemical threats. What cool names!
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| Fireworks (feu d'artifice) at Eiffel Tower on 14th of July, seen from Champ de Mars. |
This year I was determined to see the fireworks since I missed them last year... for perfectly good reasons. I started with apero at my friend's place who lives in the 15th arrondissement (just south of the Eiffel tower in the 7th arrondissement), and then we walked to Champ de Mars, the field in front of the Eiffel Tower, for the 10:30 pm fireworks show. The field was dark and filled with many people, including random French people sitting on top of fences singing drunkenly together. Although there were loads of people, it was not a packed crowd, and was quite comfortable to stand around.
The theme this year was "disco," so a large disco ball hung from the 2nd platform on the tower, and a medley of disco music blasted from the stereo. Although their choice of discofied "Singing in the Rain" was a bit strange, they did play "YMCA" and "I Will Survive," which was sufficient to keep me happy and singing in the field.
The show ended somewhere between 10:45 and 11pm... and then the real challenge: get out of there and go home (in the 11th arrondissement, all the way across town). The metro stops closest to the Eiffel tower were packed, with crowds of people trying to get in. There was probably no way of getting into the station in less than 30 minutes, and then we would have to fight for spots on the crowded metro cars (uncomfortable, hot, and maybe another 30 min). Bars and cafes around the area were filled with those who decided to wait for the metro crowd to thin. Not even expensive taxis were available. So my only mode of transport was lefty and righty... which I used to walk 3 km to the metro station Assemblée Nationale. Luckily this station was not on the same line as those which went near the Champ de Mars. I didn't get back to my place until 1:30 in the morning! I definitely learned my lesson. Next year, I probably won't go to the Eiffel Tower to see the fireworks show... especially since now I've already done it. But finding a nice tall place (Belleville, Montmartre, etc) with less crowds would suffice. Or... leave before the end of the show. Or... stay in the area all night.
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| Fireworks and a disco-ball on the Eiffel Tower for 14th of July. |
The show ended somewhere between 10:45 and 11pm... and then the real challenge: get out of there and go home (in the 11th arrondissement, all the way across town). The metro stops closest to the Eiffel tower were packed, with crowds of people trying to get in. There was probably no way of getting into the station in less than 30 minutes, and then we would have to fight for spots on the crowded metro cars (uncomfortable, hot, and maybe another 30 min). Bars and cafes around the area were filled with those who decided to wait for the metro crowd to thin. Not even expensive taxis were available. So my only mode of transport was lefty and righty... which I used to walk 3 km to the metro station Assemblée Nationale. Luckily this station was not on the same line as those which went near the Champ de Mars. I didn't get back to my place until 1:30 in the morning! I definitely learned my lesson. Next year, I probably won't go to the Eiffel Tower to see the fireworks show... especially since now I've already done it. But finding a nice tall place (Belleville, Montmartre, etc) with less crowds would suffice. Or... leave before the end of the show. Or... stay in the area all night.
