A WILD AND CRAZY WEEKEND!!!

Finally things are getting back to normal after a weekend of celebrating and partying.  Not by us, necessarily, but by the French and any who are looking for a good party!

As you already know from David's post, Saturday was Bastille Day, similar to our 4th of July.  We got out Friday to get any shopping done knowing that Saturday most things would be closed.   One of the sights we'd never seen when traveling here I knew David would enjoy was Les Invalides, the place where Napoleon's body is entombed.   Fun times!!!!!!  So that's what we decided to do on Bastille Day.  The day was sunny and warm so we dressed accordingly and hit the streets.

The facility itself is pretty magnificent befitting what we know about Napoleon.  And it seems to go on and on...not just a little building you can scurry through.  Included in the sight are the Cathedral Saint Louis des Invalides, the Musee de la Armee, the tomb of Napoleon and, as we understand it,  a hospital and residences for veterans.  Then, of course, there are gift shops, tea shops (for a little snack which you really need after going through it all!!!) and gardens.

Les Invalides

Napoleon

We started with the Cathedral which was designed in 1676 combining a royal chapel, now Dome des Invalides and a veterans' chapel, now cathedral of Saint-Louis des Invalides.  This allowed the King and his soldiers to attend mass simultaneously while entering the place of worship through different entrances following court etiquette.

This separation was reinforced in the 19th century when Napoleon was entombed there and two altars were created and then a glass wall was constructed separating the two chapels.  In addition to Napoleon, many of Napoleon's family, military officers who served under him and other French military heroes were also buried at Les Invalides.

Napoleon's tomb

The bodies of many other military officers are interred in the vaults of Les Invalides as well as the hearts of some whose bodies are interred elsewhere.  Interesting!

There is a lot to see....uniforms, weapons, a whole area on DeGaulle and the political environment and military fortitude and life.  You could probably spend hours if you read everything and spent time in every area.  We did not, though we did spend considerable time there (that said from a non-history lover!!!!!).

But David enjoyed it, and that is what was important.  He goes to things and does things I like so turn-about is fair play!!!!  Plus, I did learn some French history.

Saturday afternoon people began marking their spots around the Eiffel Tower for the concert and fireworks that were to take place that evening.   It was a madhouse, and we weren't interested in spending eight hours sitting on the ground waiting for the excitement.  However, at 11:00 p.m. we walked outside our building and were able to watch the fireworks from our street.  They had blocked our street off from traffic and the neighborhood restaurants had even set up some tables in parking spaces to accommodate more people.  Watching the fireworks spewing out of the Eiffel Tower was fabulous and more beautiful than anything I've seen.

The other excitement of the weekend was, as you know, France winning the World Cup.  This is the first time in 20 years France has won, and the celebrations were everywhere.  It has been said over one million people lined the Champs Elysees to welcome the team home (we were not in that crowd!!!) and the partying continued into the wee hours.  According to the Interior Ministry, there were 292 arrests across France overnight....so I guess fans are fans wherever you live.  Monday morning the streets were dirtier than we've seen them with bottles, trash etc., but at least the city is always there and getting things cleaned up and back to normal.