Vive la Revolution!

Bastille Day, July 14, marks the birth of the French Republic in 1789. This year, the national day fell on a Saturday, so it has been a weekend of celebration. On Friday, we watched the setting up of two massive marquees. In a medieval village, with no access for trucks or trailers, this involved an inordinate number of men, 16 at least, carrying the top section of each marquee down to the Port (the riverside area). On arrival, and before the rest of each marquee was assembled, there was the obligatory greeting, each bloke kissing the cheek of the others (you know, mwah mwah). Some time later ...

By Saturday evening when we wandered down the hill from Limeuil-haut, the party was well under way. We joined others in the heavy rain, bought our tickets then exchanged them at the catering tent for moules, a steaming bowl of mussels in their shells, cooked with onions.  Mmm, yes. And frites with mayonnaise, double yes! There was a DJ lined up for later in the evening. Sunday evening's tent meal was described as a banquet of local delicacies. We stayed with chez Richards for chops and salad but kept ourselves awake for the evening's highlight, the fireworks display, at 11pm.

What a spectacle! Because Limeuil is at the confluence of two rivers, the two arched bridges nearly abut at right angles. These bridges were lit as part of the display, which lasted a good 15 minutes. Then it was time for families to gather rugs, wine bottles, chairs and babies, and take themselves home.

It's so tempting to draw conclusions and make generalisations about other cultures when you're travelling - based on only small glimpses of those other lives - but I was struck by the family atmosphere evident during both evenings. Celebrating one's national holiday is treated seriously; small children were formally dressed, and were very much a part of the occasion.

Funnily enough, there were no signs banning alcohol consumption in public places, nor was there evidence of law enforcement officers ... or of drunkenness.

Just families celebrating their national day .