C & C in France Paris Mission

 Week 13

July 9-15

This week, Craig and I spent quite a bit of time in our apartment having personal and couple time studying scriptures, French, preparing Book of Mormon firesides (with music and spoken word), research and planning on upcoming activities (Christmas Program, Summer Olympics, etc.), and some relaxing chill/park time.

Our morning routine is becoming more settled which includes a healthy breakfast of fresh lemon juice, spinach green drink, a trip to the gym, daily food shopping (our fridge is quite small and holds only so much, so we shop very often), and walking and exploring the streets of Paris. 

We enjoy going to the Bastille Market on Thursday mornings.  It's an experience to walk among the many people of different nationalities, sizes, shapes, and ages. Hearing so many different languages spoken in one place feels like the "Tower of Babel" city-style! You can find just about every kind of fruits and vegetables, rotisserie cooked chicken, fresh oysters on a plate, dresses, scarves, purses, shoes, all kind of clothing, and house-hold needs, along with street musicians playing on their instruments. The long rows of canvas-covered booths held up with metal beams are too low for Craig and me to walk under comfortably, so we carefully find uncovered places to walk. Today, we bought our first fresh chard and delicious rotisserie-cooked chicken with fresh white peaches, apricots and strawberries to eat.  We are enjoying the fresh produce here in Paris, and are eating healthily and well.

Bastille Day was this week. We wanted to celebrate it by going to the Bastille Monument together on Bastille Day, July 14, 2023, which we did:

                                        

                                                              Bastille Monument Today

Bastille Day is celebrated in France each year on July 14th.  This is the day that the French Revolution began in 1789 and ended in 1790's.  France was never again ruled by a monarchy.

On this day, riots broke out in Paris and crowds stormed the Bastille prison in show of defiance towards King Louis XV. 

                           Paintings of the Bastille during the French Revolution on July 14, 1789

Thomas Jefferson, who was at that time the US Prime Minister, and who just happened to be in France at the time the Bastille was stormed, wrote the following account:

                                       

                                       Thomas Jefferson Comments on Bastille Day while in Paris

Today, the Bastille Monument stands as a reminder to all of the importance of freedom, and that every nation, tongue, people must take care of our liberties to preserve them.  All of us - throughout the world.

                                                          Bastille Monument in Paris, France

                                    Our apartment is just up this street a few blocks on the right.

                                                     Ariel view of the Bastille in Paris, France        

The Bastille Monument is only a few blocks away from our apartment and we walk by it often.  It is a physical reminder to all of Bastille Day, what it represents, and how priceless freedom is.

I was drawn this week into the story of the French Revolution and reviewed its history.

After the storming of the Bastille, the people marched to Versailles where Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette were living.  The king and his wife tried to appease the mob, later tried to escape at night disguised as peasants, were caught by the peasants, then put in prison, charged and beheaded.  The place where they were guillotined is on the biggest square in Paris, the Place de la Revolution, which is now called La Place de la Concorde, on January 21,1783, and Marie Antoinette on October 16, 1793.

La Place de la Concorde

The American Revolutionary War influenced the French people to revolt against their monarchy, King Louise XVI and his wife Marie Antoinette. "Viva la France!"

Death of King Louis XVI

                                           Painting of King Louis XVI's being beheaded! Yikes!

For Bastille Day, the French people celebrate with a big display of airplanes, bands, horses, etc. that start at the Arc de Triumph and go down the Chant Elize Avenue, a big celebration on the grounds of the Eiffel Tower followed by fireworks.

We decided mid morning to jump on a bus and go to the end of the line by the Eiffel Tower and see what we could see.  Some of the roads were closed off for the celebrations, so the bus let us off at the last stop possible -  the Hotel de Ville (City Hall).  We noticed crowds going towards the Seine River and followed them over.  We found a bench to sit on.

We just happened to sit next to a very nice woman who spoke English.  She and her cousin from Columbia informed us that the jets, airplanes, helicopters, that were earlier flying over other parts of Paris would be flying over the Seine River right where we were sitting in just a few minutes.  

Wow! What an adventure! All of a sudden, huge jets could be seen in the distance.  As we watched them, they got closer and closer until they were right over our heads! We saw the most beautiful and exciting display of jets flying in formation emitting red, white, and blue smoke (the colors of France on their flag) and the loud sonic noises from the jets thundered into the air and few just a few miles above our head!  Hundreds of planes flew over our heads: B Bombers, army planes, so many different kinds of planes - all thundering over our heads.  They came groups of helicopters whirling over our heads and continuing to follow down  the Seine River as far as the eye could see.  It was thrilling.

Pictures to come

We had a lovely time talking with our new friends.  We then learned that a parade of hundreds of horses in calvary "dress", with fancy outfits on their riders, AND a band of bugels and brass playing at the front end of the parade, were also going to be marching by shortly.  We sat and ate our sack lunch that we had brought and enjoyed the beauty of Paris and on the bridge over the Seine River.

Just a short time later,  the horses came down the street right next to us.  We were excited to see this beautiful animals - so healthy and prancing so elegantly along the streets of Paris with their rides all decked out in fancy uniforms and hats that had long horse tails on the back.  Neeeigh.........!

Pictures to come

We were so happy that we had just been at the right place at the right time to see and be part of the festivities.  We then got back on the bus, and got off at the Bastille Monument.  We certainly wanted a picture of us together at the Bastille on Bastille Day in Paris!  

As we were taking pictures, we heard the horses coming up the street again! This time they encircled the whole Bastille monument!  Wow! What a beautiful sight!  Everyone stopped to enjoy the marvelous horses and riders.  We felt so happy to have seen them one more time.  They were so beautiful!

After having a wonderful chocolate ice cream cone (yummy ice cream here), we went home and reflected on what a marvelous day we had had and how grateful we were to be here in Paris on Bastille Day.  

We decided to see fireworks on line at 11:00 PM and attend them in person next year.  It was incredible to see these fireworks going off all over, above and below, the Eiffel Tower! This was the most fantastic firework display we have ever seen!  Music and colors and styles of fireworks were created to reflect the many different ethnic cultures of people that now live here in Paris.  It was totally awesome! By the end of the fireworks, we were ready for a long summer's nap of quiet, restful sleep!

What a blessing to be here in Paris and partake of Bastille Day - France's most important nationally celebrated holiday.

We are sooooo grateful for each one of our freedoms that we have in the United States of America - and pray for all people and all nations, that we can cherish our freedoms, and always remember from whence freedom came from - from God himself - freedom to choose, to grow, to learn, to become, and have joy!  We must be diligent to guard and protect them from evil and evil influences.  

God bless you, our dearest family and friends.