Republic Day

We are close to Lens and Bethune, in the North of France and go to Lille tomorrow where friends will join us for a week or so.

July 14th in France is celebrated in most places as "Republic Day". However, in Paris and New Caledonia it is called (for us, the more familiar) "Bastille Day".

People in France had recovered to some extent (though no-one can forget the horror) from the massacres last year. Many outdoor events, particularly those involving fireworks, were cancelled following those terrible events. Finally, people seemed to be settling down and we sensed there was a desire to celebrate on Republic Day. Penny was very concerned about fireworks because the noises would seem to be a good cover for terrorist events and did not want to attend anything big. So, we selected the small town of Long to celebrate Republic Day. Nothing was publicised, but when we asked the butcher the day before, he checked with someone else and said that something was happening. David saw fireworks being prepared in an area near our barge (well, about 300metres away) on the 13th.

That night, we heard a band playing far away on a hill leading to the town. The band wound its way through the top of town, collecting townsfolk behind it. There were many families and lots of young children carrying lit paper lanterns on sticks. It was like the story of the Pied Piper. The crowd grew bigger and bigger to several hundreds (about the town population) and came down across a bridge where a couple of hundred more people had gathered. There were no gendarmes around and no traffic control. Motorists trying to go down the main street were faced with a big crowd and had no option other than to reverse away. Then there was a short but excellent fireworks display. After that, the band marched away towards the top of town, leading the townsfolk back and the crowd diminished as their homes were reached. What a beautiful night and there was the sound of fireworks from many other towns in the nearby countryside. We were about a third of the way up the Somme Valley and there are over 400 villages and towns, of which 380 were destroyed in WW1. Many of them were also celebrating.

  It was then with great sadness when we and others learned of the terrible events in Nice. These occurred a few hundred metres from where we had stayed a few weeks before and where we frequently walked. Our hearts and prayers go out to all affected- indeed, everyone has been affected.

Now, the terrible events have occurred in Rouen (as well as those in Germany). Here, there have been many marches and religious services held with attendance by Catholics and Moslems who are expressing huge solidarity and condemnation of the violence. If the terrorists want to start a war of religion, it is not working though undoubtedly there will be some xenophobia around.

David and Penelope