Paris | Bastille Day | Fête de feu d’artifice

Watching the Bastille Day feu d’artifice on a perfectly placed Paris roof terrace is in the top ten spectacular experiences of my travels.

As the sun set, the Eiffel Tower changed color. 

The party guests sipped champagne through straws out of individual silver and blue bottles while awaiting the fireworks.

At around 11:00, the lights on the Eiffel Tower went off and the fireworks began lighting up the sky.  Oddly, the event was accompanied by a concert of Andrew Lloyd Webber music happening at the base of the tower.  “Don’t Cry For Me Argentina” didn’t really seem appropriate for a French national holiday…

I was stuck by how strange and ghostly the Eiffel Tower looked as the smoke from the fireworks drifted across it.

People everywhere were on rooftops to see the fireworks…

As the show came to a close, the Eiffel Tower lit up with twinkling white lights.

Then it was over, and as the smoke cleared, the Eiffel Tower glowed in the night.

Bonne fête!