I am watching live, via TV5MONDE, the military parade on the French “Fête Nationale” on July 14 in Paris.
If you think that the Ringling Brothers Barnum and Bailey Circus is the Greatest Show on Earth, watch this year’s parade and you will realize that no Olympic Games ceremony or any other big public event can compare with the French Day
“Aux armes citoyens… ” this is the Bastille Day!
Trumpets and bugles heralded the arrival of the president of the republic at the top of the world’s most beautiful avenue.
As you know, the Fête Nationale celebrates the first stirrings of the Revolution and the beginning of the end for the Ancien Régime of royal and aristocratic privilege.
Drums reverberated as the elite of the French army paraded before the whole of Paris.
The day’s parade will be followed by the fireworks’ display near the Eiffel Tower.
The final starburst will announce the departure for the Firemen’s balls, held in all parts of the capital.
Parisians and tourists will be able to end the evening mixing their steps to the beat of local orchestras or well-known big bands.
The Ringling Brothers Barnum and Bailey Circus has a marvelous catalogue.
And this parade deserves dramatic photo and infographic coverage in the French press, but you won’t get it, and TV will rule once again.
So, long live the revolution!
(Pictures by AFP)