Paris Journal 2015 – Barbara Joy Cooley Home: barbarajoycooley.com
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The Esplanade des Invalides is an important venue for the official Bastille Day events. On the big day, the military has a sort of information fair set up on the Esplanade, with various interesting pieces of military equipment on display, and uniformed people to talk about them. On the eve of Bastille Day, the Esplanade is also ideal as a practice grounds for units that will be a part of the grand military parade. When we approached the Esplanade on our walk yesterday, we saw horses. Lots of brown horses. Some had white feet. Those with black tails were at the end of the ranks, and those with brown tails were at the beginning. We took a seat on a park bench, next to an elderly French lady, and watched. The men and women with the horses seemed to be in Republican Guard uniforms, so this would be the Cavalry of the Republican Guard, we assumed. The sight of the beautiful horses and brilliant, old-fashioned uniforms was entertaining for all. French families who were out for a mid-day stroll with the kids were stopping to have their photos taken with the soldiers and horses. A man removed what looked like two oversized French horns from a nearby vehicle. We heard horns blast, a command given, and then the soldiers mounted their horses. A couple of soldiers struggled to reach the saddles. Two men walked by carrying footstools, ready to assist anyone who hadn’t been able to mount. I didn’t see anyone who needed assistance, however.
In fact, one soldier who had a particularly nervous horse was able to get the animal calmed down and under control once he was in the saddle. Another command was given. All the swords were drawn simultaneously, then propped up on the soldiers’ shoulders.
Another command was given, and the entire group moved forward gracefully. Yet another command was given, and the entire group stopped, not so gracefully. The final rows, especially, had too much forward momentum and gently ran into the rows ahead. Hopefully, they’ll have the kinks worked out by this morning. The solemn parade starts in about an hour and a half. I watch it on channel 2 every summer. Two parts of the parade include an air show. We move back and forth across the apartment, seeing the aircraft approach on the TV screen, and then seeing them fly past by watching through the back windows of the apartment. Earlier, we’d seen the huge stage and bright lights set up at the foot of the Eiffel Tower. This is for the grand classical music concert on the Champ de Mars in the hour and a half before the fireworks, and during the fireworks. The entire show will be broadcast on channel 2. That’s how we’ll watch it. We don’t do crowds anymore. We can see most of the fireworks through the kitchen and bathroom windows. Tom had a business phone call with someone in North Carolina scheduled for 7PM, so we had an unusually early dinner at the brasserie down the street, Le Commerce Café. I ordered an “Obama Burger,” because I like its combination of cooked onions and cool pickles, plus something the French call la sauce Americaine that is unlike any sauce you’ll find in America. Tom had the Blue Burger, which has a smattering of blue cheese from the Auvergne. These were pretty good burgers, even if the buns were a bit too brioche-like. I wish I could tell you about the book project whose contract Tom was discussing in the phone call, but this journal is not the place to announce that. Let me simply say that this is a big project Tom and I both have worked on in the distant past, and it is coming to life again. We’re both very happy about it. It is not a moneymaking venture, but rather a cultural contribution. After dinner and before the phone call, I had to get at least one of our computers working with the apartment’s scanner. It was a challenge, but not a huge one. A smaller challenge, earlier in the day, was finding the right dental floss. It evidently is not so commonly used in France, so when you can find it, there aren’t so many varieties to choose from. I found some that meets my needs, but Tom is still looking. Other than that, we now have just about all the little household items that we need for the three months we’re here. And we’ve only been here for a week so far. Happy Quatorze Juillet! |
Tuesday, July 14, 2015
In
the distance, the stage and bright lights are set up at the foot of the
Eiffel Tower. In the foreground, the
Peace Pavilion is being dismantled (as it was supposed to be years ago).
Colorful
window boxes with plastic flowers, on the rue Saint Dominique in the 7th
arrondissement.
A
florist shop on the Avenue de la Motte Picquet. |
