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A Wonderful Bastille Day in Saint-Gilles-Croix-de-Vie

“Do the French eat anything special for Bastille Day?” Feng inquired a few days ago.

We were lying on the bed talking about the state of the world in 2022 (pretty bad) and discussing trip details (pretty fun). I had just mentioned that Mark and I would be landing in France on July 12, right on time for “le 14 juillet,” aka “Bastille Day” in English-speaking countries.

I burst out laughing.

“No! Why do you always ask me that? This is not China where… eh, wait a minute. Your turn. Can you name a Chinese holiday when you don’t have to eat some special and difficult-to-source foods that are supposed to bring prosperity, abundance and good luck?”

Strangely enough for a country where life seems to revolve around eating and drinking, there are no Bastille Day food traditions. If you really insist, I’d say any summer food will do—cantaloupe, roasted chicken, grilled merguez, mussels and fries… But Bastille Day is more about military parades (the main one is on the Champs-Elysées in Paris), fireworks and parties thrown by fire stations all over the country. Yes, fire stations. These are known as the “bal des pompiers” and firefighters in full uniform usually mingle with the crowd dancing to live music.

Last year, Mark and I celebrated Bastille Day in Paris. This year, we had just arrived in Nantes and we had no plans. We decided to spend the day at the beach to cool off (it’s a very, very hot summer in Europe), so we took the train to Saint-Gilles-Croix-de-Vie.

It turned out to be the perfect place to enjoy a very French day—Saint-Gilles is cute, picturesque, lively and relaxing.

We saw the military parade walking down the rue du Général de Gaulle at noon, then we crossed a busy market where we bought baguettes and croissants. We explore the old town under a lovely blue sky and we spent a few hours relaxing at the beach before taking the train back to Nantes in the evening…

… right on time for one of the most amazing fireworks shows I have ever seen. Pictures coming up soon!

Gare de Saint-Gilles-Croix-De-Vie, Quai République
Gare de Saint-Gilles-Croix-De-Vie, Quai République
Bastille Day military parade, Rue du Général de Gaulle, Saint-Gilles-Croix-de-Vie
Bastille Day military parade, Rue du Général de Gaulle, Saint-Gilles-Croix-de-Vie
Bastille Day military parade, Rue du Général de Gaulle, Saint-Gilles-Croix-de-Vie
Bastille Day military parade, Rue du Général de Gaulle, Saint-Gilles-Croix-de-Vie
Bastille Day military parade, Rue du Général de Gaulle, Saint-Gilles-Croix-de-Vie
Bastille Day military parade, Rue du Général de Gaulle, Saint-Gilles-Croix-de-Vie
Bastille Day military parade, Rue du Général de Gaulle, Saint-Gilles-Croix-de-Vie
Bastille Day military parade, Rue du Général de Gaulle, Saint-Gilles-Croix-de-Vie
Pl. du Marché aux Herbes, Saint-Gilles-Croix-de-Vie
Pl. du Marché aux Herbes, Saint-Gilles-Croix-de-Vie
Side streets around Quai du Port Fidèle,  Saint-Gilles-Croix-de-Vie
Side streets around Quai du Port Fidèle, Saint-Gilles-Croix-de-Vie
Side streets around Quai du Port Fidèle,  Saint-Gilles-Croix-de-Vie
Side streets around Quai du Port Fidèle, Saint-Gilles-Croix-de-Vie
Side streets around Quai du Port Fidèle,  Saint-Gilles-Croix-de-Vie
Side streets around Quai du Port Fidèle, Saint-Gilles-Croix-de-Vie
Side streets around Quai du Port Fidèle,  Saint-Gilles-Croix-de-Vie
Side streets around Quai du Port Fidèle, Saint-Gilles-Croix-de-Vie
Side streets around Quai du Port Fidèle,  Saint-Gilles-Croix-de-Vie
Side streets around Quai du Port Fidèle, Saint-Gilles-Croix-de-Vie
Side streets around Quai du Port Fidèle,  Saint-Gilles-Croix-de-Vie
Side streets around Quai du Port Fidèle, Saint-Gilles-Croix-de-Vie
Side streets around Quai du Port Fidèle,  Saint-Gilles-Croix-de-Vie
Side streets around Quai du Port Fidèle, Saint-Gilles-Croix-de-Vie
Pl. Rochebonne, Saint-Gilles-Croix-de-Vie
Pl. Rochebonne, Saint-Gilles-Croix-de-Vie
Grande Plage, Saint-Gilles-Croix-de-Vie
Grande Plage, Saint-Gilles-Croix-de-Vie
Grande Plage, Saint-Gilles-Croix-de-Vie
Grande Plage, Saint-Gilles-Croix-de-Vie
Grande Plage, Saint-Gilles-Croix-de-Vie
Grande Plage, Saint-Gilles-Croix-de-Vie
Grande Plage, Saint-Gilles-Croix-de-Vie
Grande Plage, Saint-Gilles-Croix-de-Vie
Grande Plage, Saint-Gilles-Croix-de-Vie
Grande Plage, Saint-Gilles-Croix-de-Vie
Grande Plage, Saint-Gilles-Croix-de-Vie
Grande Plage, Saint-Gilles-Croix-de-Vie
Grande Plage, Saint-Gilles-Croix-de-Vie
Grande Plage, Saint-Gilles-Croix-de-Vie
Grande Plage, Saint-Gilles-Croix-de-Vie
Grande Plage, Saint-Gilles-Croix-de-Vie
Grande Plage, Saint-Gilles-Croix-de-Vie
Grande Plage, Saint-Gilles-Croix-de-Vie
Av. Maurice Perray, Saint-Gilles-Croix-de-Vie
Av. Maurice Perray, Saint-Gilles-Croix-de-Vie
Rue du Général de Gaulle, Saint-Gilles-Croix-de-Vie
Rue du Général de Gaulle, Saint-Gilles-Croix-de-Vie
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Zhu

French woman in English Canada.

Exploring the world with my camera since 1999, translating sentences for a living, writing stories that may or may not get attention.

Firm believer that nobody is normal... and it’s better this way.

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