I've enjoyed reading the posts on the Tour de France and what the end of the race is like in Paris. We're planning a trip to Paris for next summer and are wondering what Paris is like on Bastille Day. I've been in Arles on Bastille Day and was underwhelmed. Other than the fireworks, you'd never have guessed that it was Bastille Day. What is Bastille Day like in Paris? If we can be in Paris for either the end of the 2010 Tour de France or Bastille Day, which would you choose?
Posted by
San Francisco/Marin County
9436 posts
Of the two, I would choose the Tour finish. We loved it. We've been there many times on Bastille Day and all they had was a parade, military vehicles only with lots of exhaust, down the Champs Elysees and fireworks at the Eiffel Tower. The parade was a waste of time in our opinion. The fireworks at the Eiffel Tower were great, but I'd pick the Tour (for us).
Posted by
Danville, VT
12040 posts
Somewhat off-topic, but I had to find someplace to register an unofficial complaint. I was browsing the Tour website, and I noticed that of all the major participating nations, guess which is the only one where streaming online video is not available? Personally, this isn't much of a problem for me because I'm in Europe right now (in Belgium, for example, you can watch the tour on 8 different channels in 5 different languages) and I have Versus at home on my cable line-up. But I've lived in areas where the channel is not available. Why does the US seem to be the only country in the world that restricts access to various entertainment options? This applies not just to sporting events, but many foreign movies and TV shows are impossible to find in the US unless you rig your DVD player to Region 0 and buy DVDs and CDs from a foreign supplier. Sorry, just a rant I had to get off my chest...