Free at last, free at last, merci Dieu j'ai liberté! And just in time for the 14th of July, France's Bastille Day. Celebrating liberty wil be so much sweeter knowing that I actually have it. 4th of July here was a slight let down... it's only a matter of time before you can't carry the weight of US any longer—we are a pretty overweight country. I was told by elderly friends (ok, the retired expats that I drink with during happy hour) that before 9/11 the American Embassy would open up and everyone with a blue passport (or English/South African anglophones) would crowd on the roofs, shoot off fireworks, and generally enjoy beverages. Those were the days. Now I'm pretty sure you would be shot on the spot for approaching the embassy with fireworks. At least in France the government still humbles itself to the level of disgruntled revolutionaries in the spirit of communal celebration.
In fire stations around the city, firemen will open their doors to host huge parties called "Bals des Pompiers." It's free, involves lots of liqueur, and most likely will have swooning women (whom, in the presence of firemen, can't help but swoon). Now, many of you will point out that the 14th of July is France's Independence Day, a day on which they celebrate with frieworks. What is to happen if fireworks set something ablaze, and the firemen are drunk? Well, I won't ask such questions, as the future is entirely unpredicatble and I will be safe inside a firehouse if anything goes awry. Celebration doesn't require planning, just like revolutions. And we all know nothing bad ever came out of a revolution, right?