Photos > [2008-07-14] Bastille Day Parade
Bastille Day is the national French holiday, equivalent to our 4th of July, except that it's seemingly a bigger deal. The main event is the morning parade, for which the entire length of the Champs Elysees is blocked off for a massive parade, from the Arc de Triomphe down to the Place de la Concorde. During the parade, planes fly overhead, followed by soldiers and military bands marching down the street, accompanied by pretty much every kind of military vehicle I could think of (including armored trucks, amphibious vehicles, and full-size tanks).
The crowds were so huge (even spread for over a mile along both sides of the street) that it was hard to get any good shots of the parade - see here, for example. The photos below were mostly taken blind while holding my camera in the air above my head! The parade is followed by an incredible fireworks show at night near the Eiffel Tower; unfortunately it was even more crowded, so there was no way to get good shots of the fireworks.
