Liberte, Egalite, Fraternite. (July 14th)
So many things keep HAPPENING. Dammit all. Apart from the fact they're good things, so I should shut my face. The good things being: Having a real girlfriend, who sticks up for me in the face of my dad. Who my dad likes, inspite of this (well, she's so damned polite). IT IS La fete de la federation. Which means picnics and fireworks and free wine...oh. Well.
I guess there's still fireworks.
Bad things: Ailwin found out in not-particularly-the-way-I'd-have-liked-him-to. Damn me for being so private about my private life. But anyway, that's sorted, so never mind. My dad being an arse. Including, but not limited to, his little joke this morning, coming and asking what we wanted for breakfast when he MUST have known we were having sex. He'd have come in and asked if he thought we weren't.
Gah. But to be honest, today I don't care.
Poooooke. Guess what it is today? Only the celebration of the beginning of the end for our Monarchy. The marking of the start of the First Republic of France (which wasn't ACTUALLY the storming of the Bastille, but oh well.
In otherwords, we get to go to the city centre, get free picnic wine and fireworks. Ah, National Holidays. My dad will tag along, but what can you do, he's French too.
Madames et Messieurs.
Your local Frenchman and history nut brings you. The 217th Anniversary of the storming of the Bastille, which traditionally marks the beginning of the French Revolution. From the first country in the world to abolish it's monarchy (over and over, we love it that much), I bring you some history.
Today, as you SHOULD have known is Bastille Day, or in France 'La Fete De La Federation', more commonly called 'La Fete Nationale'. ANYWAY.
It started with the firing of the Finance Minister, Necker (a baaaaaaad name to have in Revolutionary France, I would have thought) and the masses were a bit. pissed. off. because this broke the Tennis Court Oath and agreements on a National Assembly. Led by Desmoulins, they took to the streets of Paris, aiming for the Palais de Versailles, where the Assembly sat. They never got there, thanks to the intervention of some soliders. A lot of whom turned coats and joined the rebellious masses.
They changed their mind due to a lot of factors you should read BOOKS about, not just listen to me, and headed for the Bastille, symbol of imperial opression in France at the time. Voltaire had been held there many times for writing 'slander' on the king. As had the Marquis de Sade...the list goes on. Ironically, when it was stormed, there were only 7 prisoners, some forgers, two lunatics and the Comte de Solages. Either way, they stormed it, took it under their control and thus began the third stage of the French Revolution.
I know. You're bored. Sssh. I had a duty to fulfil. vive la vie francaise! Now, to the fireworks.