14 Juliette…It’s Bastille Day! Time to eat French food and drink some rosé!

It’s no secret that I’m obsessed with France. I spent my childhood wishing to go there. After graduating from high school, my dream came true…flying into Paris-Orly Airport on July 14^th was romantic and unforgettable. I was only seventeen but still overcome with emotion especially when I saw the Arc de Triomphe for the very first time…on Bastille Day.

I will never forget standing on the Champs Elysees and viewing the Arc in a sea of blue, white and red and then later watching fireworks under the Eiffel Tower… c’est magnifique! If you’re lucky enough to be in Paris on Bastille Day, you’ll experience once-in-a lifetime memories.

In America, we love to celebrate the Fourth of July with fireworks, parades and food…much like the French celebrate Quatorze Juillet. Both days are full of happy and independent feelings.

The Arc de Triomphe is the MOST famous arch in the world. The view from its platform is stunning. It is a legacy of Napoleon who ordered construction of the arch in 1806.  Napoleon  said to his soldiers after his Austerlitz victory in 1805, “You will return home through archs of triumph.”

It is the rallying point of French troops parading on Bastille Day and a memorial for the French soldiers who died during World War One.

My dear friend and fellow Francophile is expecting her second bébé today. She is thrilled to be induced on Bastille Day and have Le Petit Prince…liberté, égalité, bébé. It’s a beautiful day!

Joyeux Quatorze Juillet xx