LE JOUR DE BOIRE EST ARRIVÉ

 

As has been noted in these pages, St. Louis loves an excuse to drink in public. As the mob followed the king and queen on Soulard Bastille Day, many had bottles or cans in hand. Some of those too unsteady to walk the route rode golf carts, voiturettes de golf, flying le tricolore.                      

ALLONS ENFANTS!

 

Happy Bastille Day to all our French friends. This town was founded by a pair of French explorer-traders. Our originally French Soulard neighborhood holds an annual tongue-in-cheek celebration of the revolution, wherein the royal couple are chased very slowly from one to another of the several local bars, ending at a mock execution at le rasoir national.               

FILLES DE LA RÉVOLUTION

 

I don’t think these people are genuine daughters of the revolution, nor do I believe those beverages are rose de Provence. The outfits are un peu stereotypical. Nevertheless, as I have noted, St. Louis loves an excuse to drink in public and what could be a better end to the party than a decapitation (even if fake)?                   

ALLONS ENFANTS!

Happy Bastille Day to our French Friends! St. Louis was founded by French explorers and one of our historic neighborhoods, Soulard, was established by a French couple of the same name. It has an annual tongue-in-cheek celebration of the event with Louis and Marie Antoinette being chased by the mob very slowly through the district, stopping at the several bars. It ends with a mock execution.

Note the sign in the upper left. Some of the mob rode through the streets on golf carts.          

Witness

This picture sort of reminds me of the shots you see of people watching a terrible event or even a bomb test. It was taken at the Theatre Crawl, where the first event started outdoors and the audience had to stare into the sunset.

Bonne fête nationale française!

 

    

Metallica

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Getting into some of the strange things for sale at the Pagan Picnic. Don't just dress Goth, wear this chain-mail head and shoulder covering to your favorite club. The second one is, um, a bit out there but if it is in public view in the City of St. Louis, the times must have changed to accommodate it. Not surprisingly, these were for sale by the same merchant.

 

Bonne Fête Nationale à tous nos amis en France! Il ya un petit festival à Saint-Louis, mais il n'est pas jusqu'à demain. (Pourquoi?) Je serai là.

Scenes From an Execution

Royalty and mob mix on the street in St. Louis' Soulard neighborhood in a playful re-enactment on the beheadings of King Louis and Queen Marie Antoinette. Think about that sentence for a moment.

SEEN ON THE STREET IN ST. LOUIS: A bumper sticker reading I MISS PLUTO.
TOMORROW: A blind cat named Gigi and her companion, Issam

Le jour de gloire

THE THEME SONG OF THE DAY

Happy Bastille Day to all of our French friends. For my money, France has the best, totally kick-ass national anthem with the most brilliant music in the entire world. Have any of you English speakers ever read a translation of the lyrics? It's blood in the streets, gore, violence and triumph! I just love it!

Aux armes citoyens
Formez vos bataillons
Marchons, marchons
Qu'un sang impur
Abreuve nos sillons!

To arms citizens,
Form your battalions
March, march
Let impure blood
Water our furrows!

In these pictures, Le Roi Louis et La Reine Marie Antoinette parade through the streets of St. Louis' Soulard neighborhood, hounded by the mob, only to meet their inevitable fate. Then, naturellement, everybody went out for a few more drinks. Vive la Republique! I really love France.

TOMORROW: Scenes from an execution.
WHAT I'M LISTENING TO: La Marseilles, as orchestrated and arranged by Hector Berlioz, one of my favorite mad geniuses. That's what you hear above.