the 4th of july in paris

I was in Rome on the 4th of July and was unable to find anything to do to celebrate but I was able to spend the day France celebrates its independence in Paris. the night before the big celebration they have firworks outside of the city and on Bastille day thaere are fireworks over the eiffel tower. i did not care to see any firework and left before the fireowkrs over the eiffel tower but i did get to see some of the celebration.

On the street that is famous for its expensive stores, a parade was held on bastille day. the parade was much different from a 4th of july parade in the united states. instead of floats decorated in red white and blue by different groups, they had a military parade. i am not sure of there all the different troops were from but each had the own outfits and spot in the parade. some of the outfits were very different from what military members wear in the united states. the men and women drove all different types of military vehicles through the parade. there were large tanks and other large weapon carrying vehicles.

after the parade there was a parade of helicopters. by this time it was down pouring and i did not feel like standing in the rain to continue watching the parade.

the celebration was very different than how the united states celebrates its independence. I saw it as a great way to honor the troops and still celebrate independence. I understand that in the united states we have other days to celebrate the troops but i feel those days have turned into just an extra day off for some people. not many people go out and celebrate memorial day but instead take the day to spend more time at a cabin or out of town.

it was interesting to observe the celebration in paris. i was only able to be part of a small part of it but it had a very different feel than the 4th of july in the united states.

also sorry for the spelling, i am using a german keyboard