I have been fortunate enough to celebrate La Fête Nationale Francaise – Le Quatorze Juillet, a holiday marking the anniversary of the fall on July 14, 1789 of the Bastille, in Paris on a number of occasions. As readers of this blog know, I was a Francophile in my early life and majored in French in college. My father had always been somewhat obsessed with France and the lifestyle and food so it is a natural for me to think of today as a celebration. When I was in high school we spent an incredible Bastille Day at the Paris Hilton looking at the fireworks and the festivities on the Champs de Mars. Which reminds me of that incredible Cole Porter song, sung by Ella Fitzgerald,  “I love Paris.”

I love Paris in the springtime

I love Paris in the fall

I love Paris in the winter when it drizzles

I love Paris in the summer when it sizzles

I love Paris every moment

Every moment of the year

I love Paris

I have not been to Paris in a very long time but along with all of my fellow World Cup watchers, France will be on my mind when they play Spain in the Semi-Finals today in a little over an hour. They are the favored team as we know but let’s see what happens. A few months ago, I had the distinct pleasure of becoming a member of Les Compagnons du Beaujolais and today I will be drinking something to celebrate that event.