“Just so you know: the fireworks may be cancelled at the last minute, it will rain at one point, and there is no way we will be done eating dinner before. Scratch that—we probably won’t even have started eating.”
“You’re just being negative.”
“Realistic. Been there, done that. For many years. Eighteen or so, I’d say.”
In Saint Michel, the traditional Bastille Day fireworks and party are on July 13, not on July 14. No one knows why but it’s been this way for as long as I can remember.
“What time is it?”
“10:40 p.m.”
“Are we going?”
So we turned our plates and glasses over (because, of course, it had started raining and we were eating outside) and headed to the beach. I scanned the crowd for a screaming toddler and a Chinese guy, or maybe a screaming Chinese and a half-French half-Chinese toddler. Five minutes later, I found Mark and Feng who were already waiting for the big show.
Five minutes later, it started. For twenty minutes, we watched the fireworks over the ocean. It was nice, even though it was windy and even though we were soaked by the light rain.
It was close to midnight when we finally came back home and ate our tomates farcies (stuffed tomatoes).
The following day, we drove back to Nantes where the fireworks are actually on Bastille Day. At the end of the night, we rushed quai de la Fosse to catch the show. I like the Saint Michel version better—less crowded, a better setting over the ocean. This time, I had my camera and I did my best to take a few pictures despite the smoke. In the end, I decided that blurring the show looked more interesting!
I just found out what Bastille Day is, please excuse me. Another thing I found out was that French do not have a culture of wishing each other on Bastille Day, is it so?
Fireworks look fun; guess you guys have a good time.
Bastille Day isn’t a huge deal, people mostly enjoy a day off and watch fireworks 🙂
It must have been nice to see the fireworks over the ocean! We never go to see the one in Paris, you have to spend the whole day by the Eiffel tower to get a seat from which you actually see the fireworks!
I’d love to see Bastille Day in Paris once but I would never wait around for the défilé.
Fireworks at the beach = awesome 🙂
I think so too!
I LOVED the Bastille Day fireworks in France. They are so spectacular! And I have never witnessed anything like it before or again… and this was only in Clermont-Ferrand. They were in the park above the city, on a hill and the firewords were choreographed to music. So awesome!!
Glad to see you have a positive experience! I agree, even small towns in France have nice fireworks, at least from my experience.
[…] After Bastille Day, the atmosphere changed in Nantes. Many Nantais are now on holiday, they have been replaced by tourists from all over France and Europe. They are easy to spot: they have a map in their hands and they look lost in the city’s small alleys. The train station is quieter but parks and touristic places are packed. Many small businesses are closed for a few weeks but for restaurants and bars, it’s the long-awaited high season. […]
[…] French people take holidays between July 14 (Bastille Day) and […]