Sunday, July 14, 2013

La Fête Nationale

Or Bastille Day to us non- French folks. This evening we went into the small village of Entrecasteaux on a new friend's suggestion. We parked on the outskirts of town and walked in as the streets are so narrow, I would have knocked one of my side mirrors off had I tried to fit between the stream of viewers and the residence's front stoops. The crowd was thick, but very well behaved. Some lucky people had tables at a cafe in the center of town where waitresses were serving them dinner and drinks. They must have been there for hours to get those seats.
 There is a large 17th century chateau in the center of town. The fireworks display was set up in the gardens in front of the chateau. I have NEVER been that close to fireworks before in my life. You could feel the wind as the canisters went shooting into the air to explode, then trickle down above our heads. It was a fantastic display for such a tiny town.
Every few blocks there are fountains and they all have spouts that you can drink from. Needless to say, the kids find this most enticing and have never been so well hydrated.
Today marks the end of our first week in France and so far, our adventure has started out with a bang. Vive la France!


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