Travel Diaries continue with the celebration of Bastille Day in front of the Eiffel Tower in Paris, France! Such an unbelievable experience that I will NEVER forget and can't wait to go back and experience it all over again! La Fête nationale or Le quatorze juillet takes place on July 14. The French National Day commemorates the beginning of the French Revolution with the Storming of the Bastille on 14 July 1789, as well as the Fête de la Fédération which celebrated the unity of the French people on 14 July 1790. Celebrations are held throughout France. The oldest and largest regular military parade in Europe is held on the morning of 14 July, on the Champs-Élysées in Paris in front of the President of the Republic, French officials and foreign guests.
---------------------------------------------------------
Here are some tips to make your Bastille Day celebrations in Paris enjoyable:
1.) Days leading up to the celebration you will notice a lot of blocks to certain streets, metro stops, etc so be aware and be prepared to take detours, get off at different stops etc. They started barricading parts of Champs & Place De La Concorde a couple of days before in order to prepare for the military parade.

2.) The best seat in the house is of course in front of the Eiffel Tower or at several of the bridges nearby along the Seine. Crowds aren't your thing? No worries! Several restaurants with roof terraces take reservations for the fireworks show and high places like Montmartre are ideal for watching the fireworks!

3.) If you do want to sit in front of the Eiffel, MAKE SURE YOU GET THERE EARLY. I can't stress this enough, in order to get a good seat in front, get there early. We planned on getting there early but we had done other things before hand so we didn't get there until 3pm-ish and it was already PACKED! Luckily we were able to spot a small patch of grass to lay out our blankets and picnic.

4.) Don't forget to bring snacks and drinks to stay hydrated and functioning! In our case, it meant plenty of wine, sweets and baguettes! Bathrooms an issue? No worries, there are PLENTY of port of potties nearby, a little hassle to get to but they are there! People start to picnic as early as noon that day so be prepared to be out there for several hours! There is a free concert that you can attend or you can hear & see it at your picnic spot thanks to the big screens. The sun goes down way later in the summertime, usually around 10pm so the fireworks typically don't start until 10:30ish 11pm.

5.) BE AWARE that getting home after Bastille Day will take longer than usual. The HUGE crowds disperse and they all have the same idea, to take the metro. Try to walk as FAR as you can away from the Eiffel and then consider taking the Metro. Or you can jus tough it out and walk the extra mile home lol. If you do take the metro, BE CAREFUL OF PICKPOCKETS. This is like Christmas to them and the Metros are NOTORIOUS for pick pockets especially during Bastille Day. My friends saw it first hand lol #traumatizing

6.) There is a huge military parade in the morning which is a great family affair, with military displays through Champs Elysees and Place de La Concorde. Parades aren't your thing? Check out the Louvre and several other places that have FREE ADMISSION during Bastille Day!

7.) On July 12-14 several firehouses host balls for everyone to attend, some free to get in, others with a simple donation so be sure to check those out! If you're a solo traveler no worries, couchsurfing.com had several meet ups for travelers to attend the firestation balls, parties, etc.

8.) Have fun, listen to the music, mingle with the people next to you, enjoy the fireworks and just take it all in!

Every year for Bastille Day there is a theme. 2014 theme was "War and Peace" and commemorated the First World War Centenary so it was amazing to see the story play out with the music, the lighting, and the fire works!
---------------------------------------------------------------------

FOLLOW ME!
INSTAGRAM : http://www.instagram.com/soy_idalia
TWITTER : http://www.twitter.com/soy_idalia
PINTEREST : http://www.pinterest.com/idaliia
GOOGLE + : http://www.google.com/+IdaliaPina

look up my hashtags on instagram! #idaliastravels & #idaliaseats

THUMBS UP FOR MORE VIDEOS :) PLEASE SUBSCRIBE

merci,
Idalia
----------------------------------------
Video made possible thanks to Apple, iMovie & Canon Powershot SX500!