Happy Bastille Day to all of my French and francophile friends! I would love to celebrate La Fête Nationale in Paris, to watch the military parade along the Champs-Elysées and this year's disco-themed fireworks display at the Trocadero. Even the cool temperatures and the rain sound good to me this year! However, if I can't be in France for the 14th of July, Milwaukee is actually a great alternative. The 31st annual Milwaukee Bastille Days celebration is taking place in Cathedral Square this weekend, featuring live music, cooking demonstrations, food and wine tastings, a "Storm the Bastille" 5K, street performers, and an international marketplace. The pièce de résistance is the 43-foot replica of the Eiffel Tower, rivaled only by the Eiffel Tower sand sculpture created at this summer's Lakefront Festival of the Arts. To add to the Gallic ambiance, Intouchables is still playing at the Downer Cinema, and the Milwaukee Art Museum is featuring an exhibit of Posters of Paris, showcasing the work of Toulouse-Lautrec and his 1890's contemporaries. Vive la France à Milwaukee!
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Je viens d'écrire comment on peut bien fêter le 14 juillet à Milwaukee, mais grâce aux bons amis et à la technologie de FaceTime, j'ai eu le grand plaisir de regarder le feu d'artifice en direct de leur balcon à Paris! Cette année, le spectacle rend homage au disco avec les plus grandes tubes et une énorme boule à facettes, suspendue de la Tour Eiffel.
Voici le spectacle y compris la musique: