“Quatorze Juillet!!”

A group of around fifty guests, including both friends and bed and breakfast guests (aka new friends!) jovially mingled together at O’Vineyards this past July 14th to view the annual Bastille Day fireworks show over Carcassonne. In the anglophone world, this French national holiday is known as “Bastille Day”. In France, the locals commonly designate the holiday with the slightly less sober “Quatorze Juillet!!! (champagne cork explosion)“.

The amazing display of fireworks was comfortably appreciated from the front deck of O’Vineyards, at a distance of just under 10km from the event site. Guests enjoyed a dinner party “bien arrosée” (doused) with a variety of O’Vineyards wine (slightly less explosive than champagne, but still a real treat!). And what better dishes to cater to a pyromaniac appetite than an arrangement of French saucissons and the pork-based spread known as “rillettes”; pear and Roquefort cheese crumpets; delicious in-season melon slices; and a national Indonesian dish made with vegetables and vermicelli noodles known as “Bami”. In the spirit of the American Independence Day, guests also enjoyed barbeque on this special occasion. To top it off, guests also kindly shared a wide array of other toothsome dishes including appetizers and desserts. 

The fireworks tradition dates back to the end of the 19th century when the city of Carcassonne first celebrated the arrival of the “Cadets de Gascogne”–a group of prominent figures in literature, politics and art–entertaining them with concerts, balls, fireworks, banquet dinners and many other festivities (for more info see the Carcassonne tourism site in French). This year, the event attracted an audience of over 700,000 spectators. The fireworks show begins at 10:30pm and usually lasts around 25 minutes. 

You too can view the fireworks show finale from the comfort of your home and over a glass of wine (video provided via the youtube user Esdalida. Video taken in the city of Carcassonne).

A bientot y’all!