„July 14 is Bastille Day in France, and it truly is, as the French call it, La Fete Nationale. The celebration marks the day in 1789 when angry mobs stormed the notorious Bastille prison in Paris and symbolizes the start of the French Revolution. Consider it the French equivalent of our Independence Day. In Paris, there will be a grand military parade as always, but President Nicolas Sarkozy has canceled the traditional Elysee Palace garden party to symbolize the austerity measures being undertaken by his administration in response to the ailing world economy. It's a pity. Bastille Day is a perfectly good excuse to throw a party, even if it may be a little spur-of-the-moment midweek. (You can always wait for le weekend and give a Gallic shrug if anyone notices the date discrepancy.) Celebrate at the very least with French wines and French cheeses.”