Firemen's Ball
On either the 13th or the 14th, most of the regional fire stations host fundraising "balls". They may have originated as dances, but I think the best parallel we have today is to liken them to neighborhood block parties. Our fire station is only about three blocks away so I headed out there last night about 9:30 to see what was going on. It was early (start time 9:00, sunset 9:45-ish), so the dancing hadn't started, but music was playing and kids and families were enjoying themselves. I could see how, if one weren't worn out and in desperate need of a good night's sleep, partying until the announced 4:00 am would be a great way to spend the eve of the biggest holiday of the year.
Parade
To train for next year's Bastille Day parade, here's what I recommend. Ride a bus to its temporary end point; get off and walk a mile; draw a circle on the pavement just big enough to hold both your feet and stand there for three and half hours. And then walk the mile back to your bus. The training is improved by recruiting five total strangers to stand close enough to you that you're in contact with at least three of them for the duration. Then you're ready, like the other crazies following the same general plan, for seeing the grandest military parade (and definitely the oldest) in the world. I'm not a good crowd size estimator, but this is a glimpse of what lined the Champs-Elysees for its two miles, and this is just one side of the street.
(Or, you could have really good friends with top-floor apartments overlooking the Champs-Elysees. I'm working on that for next time.)
Fortunately, it was the better side of the street for two reasons. To begin the parade, all the foot soldiers formed up on the opposite side, so we could see them from the front.
The second reason was a huge surprise. The fly-over was in full view (except for the right-most wingman). With all the trees, I didn't expect to see it at all.
