It’s the 14th of July, Bastille Day–La Fête Nationale, celebrating the day the notorious prison La Bastille in Paris, was stormed and destroyed, in July 1789.
The fall of the Bastille, symbolizes the start of the French Revolution, which led to the killing of the king–Louis the XVI and the end of the ancient regime (old order).
Shortly after, on 4th August, feudalism was abolished and on 26th August 1789, the Declaration of the Rights of Man was proclaimed.
Momentous stuff–allez les Bleus!
Things were a good deal less momentous here this morning!
The distant whizz-bangs from the fireworks in Lautrec late Saturday evening and the sounds of one side’s ecstatic celebrations in Rio de Janeiro last night have given way to blessed silence.
Just the cooing of a dove and the chirps of birds telling each other about our bird feeder.
The supermarkets are closed (Sundays too–a new edict from the Prefet of the Tarn, our department) and there’s no post.
Visitors are always puzzled, often dismayed and sometimes angered about the eccentricities, as they see it, of commercial opening hours here.
There are four rush hours on normal weekdays as people take off at midday for lunch, chez eux (at home).
The Tour de France–the jauntiness of the logo below belies the task they face today…
is in the mountains of the Vosges, close to the German border, for a second day–just a few ups and downs!
A Frenchman hasn’t won the tour since Bernard Hinault in 1985–an astonishing and damning statistic.
Wearing the yellow jersey (maillot jaune) today, which denotes the leader, is Tony Gallopin, a Frenchman.
French pride restored, if only for a day–but the biggest day in the French calendar.
I shall be urging them on from the comfort of the sofa; in awe at another day of agony suffered by the riders in this epic of athletic endurance.
Allez tout le monde!
Robin Ellis 
It’s sad that we in England are such slaves to consumerism. I miss Sunday and half day closing when Sunday was a day to rest,be with family and just BE…Now just another day to shop..sad really.
Independence day here in the Bay Area,USA, July 4th, sounds like war all over again with the illegal fireworks and blasts and booms going off all hours of the night, terrorizing our cats! Quite disturbing really, when one is not watching the beautiful pyrotechnics, rather, just hearing the sounds of irresponsibility! It is a holiday celebration, not worth losing limbs over, which many did. Yes, a huge sigh of relief at daybreak when all was peaceful again.
Also, here’s hoping a Frenchman wins The Tour de France this year!
In my childhood…..70+ years ago…..everything was closed on Sunday… Ton pis! Pas de problem….
The most beautiful national song ” la marseillaise”, the lyrics where taking from real life.Vive la france et la republique Française! Enjoy le 14 Juillet. In the tour de france my favorite is out Alberto Contador this is a great loss he’s such a nice man just like Bernard Hinault (I saw him when I was little in south France).
…Allons enfants de la patrie…la victoire pour Nibali est arrivée! Forza Vincenzo!!!
“Liberté, égalité, fraternité” high values and difficult to live it, no matter what time.
Too the celebrations …it was a short night and it costed a lot of nerves again but with a very happy end for our side in Rio de Janeiro! Unfortunately, Angela has only forgotten to give us an extra day off.
Your description of the storming of the Bastille reminds me of one of my favourite books “A Tale of Two Cities” by Charles Dickens.
Ah, 1789, you were just getting Nampara back in order, Capt’n!
Fascinating time in history
I was reading a book about how to use different herbs, Mr. Ellis. What is drouille? I can’t find it in my French dictionary.
You got me, Heidi!
Yes, it’s got me puzzled too. It comes from a book called “Une Soupe aux Herbes Sauvages” by Emilie Carles. She talks about collecting plants in Southern France. To make the soup, she gathers rib grass, wild sorrel, tall drouille with its broad smooth leaves, nettle or salsify, sedge, yarrow, chalabrei……
In the book, I’m reading about herbs printed by the National Trust, I didn’t know that lavender oil was used as a surgical antiseptic in field hospitals in the First World War. Nettles were given to wounded soldiers as a tonic.
Interesting how herbs are used for cooking and medicinal purposes.