Bastille Night, 2011

Crazy high jinx at the Bastille Day Prom Party during which the Promenade des Anglais was closed to all but pedestrians and cyclists and 6 moving stages.

First while we were having dinner at Sarao, came some fish and why not? 

Then came the fireworks....

       ...an expensive twenty minute display set to (this time) appropriate music.    Nice must be the richest town in the south!  As Jeanne pointed out , they have to get the rights to the music too to put on this kind of show!

    There was an impressive array of "feu d'artifice" but these seemed to come through best as photos.

     Then the walk home along the Prom with 100,000 other folk, or so it seemed.  Everybody was out except my favorite curmudgeons!

 And six of these moving stages, spaced appropriately, so as not to bleed the music, were offering good stuff ... jazz and cuban included.    These prom parties will go on once a week, all summer, an idea for the second year for the important commercial months in Nice.   This from my friend's blog:  Best of Nice  http://www.bestofniceblog.com/

Nice’s fireworks are accompanied by the first of a series innovative summer Prom’ Parties: a massive street party where the music comes to you on 6 giant rolling stages that rotate every 30 minutes.  Tonight it’s jazz, Italian, tsigane, cuban, musette and biguine (whatever that is!)

The best part of the evening, aside from the company of cronies, was not the Negresco, gaudily clad like a mardi gras girl, non!

  It was the full moon over the sea, a quiet, calm sight so well highlighting the contrasts that we want and accept.  And like many special sightings, it wouldn't be captured on film!