The Engineering of...the "big bang"

After many "congratulations" received on the 4th of July, it is my turn to say "right back at you, France." Bastille Day, celebrated on the 14th of July, was a wet and wild day!



Went to the famous Bastille Day Parade on the Champs Elysees, which ends at the Arc de Triomphe with a speech from Sarkozy himself. It is a military parade and troops from African and Arab units marched along with the French units. Each group sang a different marching song, carried their flag, and sported dashing uniforms. The finale was a barrage of military tanks and vehicles zooming down the road under formations of jets, helicopters, and planes shooting out red, white, and blue smoke in the shape of the French flag.



Unfortunately, Mother Nature must not have been a fan because it poured upon the nearly one million visitors and we got super-soaked! But, in the end it was worth seeing.



After drying off and picking up some picnic supplies, we trekked to the Eiffel Tower and parked ourselves in between the Tower and the Trocadero by the Seine. It was a fantastic show! Every moment was like a finale! I saw fireworks I had never seen before. Like, how do you make one look like a heart, or gold?! The lights and smoke turned the dark night into day again! And it looked even better after a little baguette and cheese...