The Sabbaticus Line: And What is La Fête nationale

On 14 July 2015, we joined 66 million French to celebrate La Fête nationale—French National Day. Also known as Bastille Day, the French National Day commemorates Storming of the Bastille on 14 July 1789. Like the Americans, Canadians or Kiwis, it is a celebration of independence: however, for the French this is not from Brittish Rule, but the Rule of ineffective, uncaring and overweight Kings and Queens. The 14 July 1789 is the first day that France cessed to be Monarchy and became a Republic. I say the first day because the next 50 years or more was not to produce a stable Government, and the French would have to endure periods of poor Governments, the return of the Monarchy and dictatorships—as was the case during the Napoleonic Period.

What do the French do on La Fête nationale? In our little village of Lambella, no one flew the French Flag. There was no parade. While there were a few fireworks, the shops were completely closed and the CBD deserted. It appeared that some used the day to go cycling. Others may have caught up with family. Some may have gone to the beach.

And I am sure that for those French that still believe in the Monarchy—and we are told that they exist, it must be a day of dark thoughts and regret as to what France might have become had it stayed, like the British Empire, a Monarchy—with weddings and babies—all the essentials that fill women magazines for months.

What else did we do today? We went on a self-directed walking tour through the country following part of the Les Sentiers de Grande Randonnée—with map and GPS we managed to find our way home! We also visited the Haras National de Lamballe, an estuarine breeding centre, a centre that was originally developed by Napoleon to breed horses for the French Army. It was Julie’s idea: and did she reach out and touch the horses?