Indian Regiments marching in Paris Bastille Day Parade, 14 July 2023

(Notice: I have not written a post in almost three months, but am making up with this post...) Time has gone by very quickly since my last post in early May on my trip to the North Georgia Mountains. When I returned to my house in Cobb County, GA., the water heater needed to be replaced. Then in June I traveled to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, to spend time with my daughter Celine and her family. I had planned to write a post on this visit but had to return to my house in Georgia in early July because two trees had fallen on the roof.

As I am writing this post my air conditioning unit stopped working on Friday in the upper part of the house in Nashville. My bedroom temperature went up to 97 F (36 C,) making it difficult to have a good night sleep. The Weather Forecast Channel on TV just told us to expect more warm days coming up - feeling like 117 F (47.2C) in Nashville. Scientists are saying that this month of July 2023 has been the warmest on record so far and might even be the warmest the planet has experienced in 120,000 years! But, no fear, my hairdresser in Georgia told me last week that there is no climate change, it's just a "liberal" plot ... (Cartoon courtesy New Orleans The Times Picayune.)

Through the plantation shutters next to my laptop desk I can see little birds getting a relief from the heat in the small water dish I placed on the front porch. It is the bottom dish of a large planter. I also placed a "Mosquito Dunk" tablet in it to avoid mosquito larvae (non toxic to birds, pets, animals or humans) that I purchased on Amazon. I like watching all the different birds having a good time, sometimes up to 6 or 8 of them at a time.

In spite of my house problems I was able to watch the Paris 14 of July celebrations on the French Military Armed Forces website and also on the Mayor of Paris website. The French National Holiday is called "Le 14 Juillet" (14 July) but English speaking people call it "Bastille Day" after the storming of the Bastille prison in 1789 during the French Revolution (however, in France, no one would know what you mean if you asked about Bastille Day.) What people don't realize here is that there were only 3 prisoners in the huge Bastille jail then. The people had stormed it because it contained arms and ammunitions, not to free the 3 prisoners. In previous posts I explained the history of the holiday; please look under Bastille Day on the right side of my blog.

The celebrations start on the evening of July 13 with a torchlight procession, that is, participants in many cities and villages walk down streets holding torches or lanterns/lampoons in their hands, following a local band, then go on to a public square for public dancing. On the morning of the 14 there is the traditional Défilé Militaire du 14 juillet, or Bastille Day Military Parade, down the Champs-Elysees. Started in 1880, it is one of the oldest military parades in the world. It is the main official event honoring French military regiments and includes each year different invited foreign guests and regiments. This is one of the main occasions when you will see many French flags all around. French people respect their flag but the rest of the time they don't have it on their cars, or flown from their houses, etc. You will see it in official places like schools, police stations, customs check-points, and in support of the national teams during international competitions but you won't find it in front of a commercial business, or on tee-shirts, baseball caps, clothes or other decorative objects. As in many European countries (apart from the UK that is a constitutional monarchy)people placing out too many national flags are frown upon and considered to be extreme-right extremists, or uber nationalists. In addition, there is no "Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag" in France like in the United States. Again, most European citizens of democratic countries would find it quite bizarre, not saying undemocratic, incredibly creepy and borderline fascistic.

For 2023, the Bastille Day parade included 6,500 people (5,100 of them marching,) 64 planes, 28 helicopters, 157 ground vehicles, 62 motorcycles, 200 horses and 86 dogs. Nearly 15 countries were invited to the parade including India, this year guest of honor. Prime Minister Norendra Modi watched the parade alongside French President Emmanuel Macron. It was also the 25th anniversary of the India-France Strategic Partnership and the 70th anniversary of the Patrouille de France. The Patrouille had their traditional aerial display that included French-made Indian war planes. Vehicles on display included the Caesar anti-missile batteries that France is providing to Ukraine, and Ukrainian officials were also invited to join Pres. Macron in the VIP seats. Below Patrouille de France (courtesy Ministeres des Armees.)

Another highlight were students from partner African military schools (Benin, Congo-Brazzavile, Gabon, Madagascar, Ivory Coast and Senegal) marching with residents of French military schools. Below photos of two of the African military schools in the parade, from Madagascar on top photo and Ivory Coast on the bottom. (Courtesy Madagascar Tribune.)

In tribute to the 80th anniversary of the disappearance of Jean Moulin, the French civil servant hero who created the National Council of the French Resistance, musicians played the "Chant des partisants," a song that is a symbol of indomitable spirit against evil. This was the French Resistance anthem during World War II. Jean Moulin, 1899-1943, the leader of the Resistance, was tortured by the Nazis in one prison after another and died in 1943 in a train taking him to Germany. An international orchestra, made up of 80 musicians from France and 14 partner countries (Canada, The Czech Republic, Belgium, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Portugal, Romania, Spain, the United Kingdom and the United States) played for the parade until the Patrouille de France flew over.

The parade included a 269 member tri-services contingent of the Indian Armed Forces with 77 marching personnel and 38 band members (including the Rajputana Rifles Regiment Band,) led by Captain Aman Jagtap. The Indian Navy contingent was being led by Commander Vrat Baghel, while Squadron Leader Sindhu Reddy lead the Indian Air Force contingent. The Punjab Regiment had been selected to represent the Indian Army for this Bastille Day celebrations. The Punjab Regiment, one of the oldest Infantry Regiments of the Indian Army that traces its origins to 1761, had participated in both World Wars as well as post-independence operations. Historically, 107 years ago, the Punjab Regiment had marched down the Champs-Elysees for the 14 July 1916 parade, after taking part in some battles of World War I. (Photos courtesy Ministere des Armees, La Ville de Paris, and the Élysée Palace.) Please click on collage to enlarge.

Below are vintage photographs and postcards of the Punjab Regiment at the 14 July parade of 1916 and at the rail station Gare du Nord (below right.) Top left photo is a French lady pinning a flower in gratitude on one of the Indian soldiers' lapel.

World War I began on August 4, 1914, after Great Britain declared war against Germany. When the British Army requested military support from their Indian colony, Sikhs, Pendjabis and Gurkas arrived in Marseille, France. On September 26, 1914, the British Punjab's 20th troop of the Lahore Division and of the 129th Baluchis of pre-partition India were the first colonial force to deploy in Europe. They trained in Marseille while waiting to be sent to the front lines. Below are vintage postcards of the Anglo-Indian regiments in Marseille, France in Sept. 1914.

Then these Anglo-Indian troops went to Toulouse and Orleans, France, on their way north. Between September 1914 and October 1918, 140,000 Indian troops arrived to fight in France and Belgium. Below are vintage postcards of them in France.

As you can see there were quite a few Indian troops in the First World War, but I have never heard about them in the US - they must have been forgotten here. I tried to find books in English on this subject, but could not, but I did find books published in France. Below a couple of them plus an article on the Excelsior Journal published in France on December 14, 1914, showing injured Indian soldiers.

In the north of France they took part in an offensive near Neuve-Chapelle from March 10 to 13, 1915, earning the Battle Honors "Loos" and "France and Flanders" - over 8,550 were killed and as many as 50,000 more were wounded. In total about 10,000 Indian soldiers died in France during the First World War. Several monuments in their honor were erected in France, notably the Neuve-Chapelle Memorial. It was inaugurated on 7 October, 1927, by Marshal Foch, and attended by the Maharaja of Karputhala, Rudyard Kipling and a large contingent of Indian veterans representing units that fought in France, including Sikhs, Dogras and Garhwalis. Marshal Ferdinand Foch (French, 1851-1919,) the Supreme Commander of the Allied Forces (and generally considered the leader most reponsible for the Allied victory,) gave a speech, including this: "Return to your homes in the distant, sun-bathed East and proclaim how your countrymen drenched with their blood the cold northern land of France and Flanders, and how they delivered it by their ardent spirit from the firm grip of a determined army; tell all India that we shall watch over their graves with the devotion due to all our dead. We shall cherish above all the memory of their example. They showed us the way, they made the first steps towards the final victory." Speaking after the war, Marshal Foch said the Indian Army had delivered the war's first decisive steps to victory; they were critical in stemming the tide of the German invasion of Belgium and France. Without their early arrival, the port of Calais would not have been saved, the Western Front would have been breached and the British Expeditionary Forces annihilated. Below photos of the Neuve-Chapelle Indian Memorial.

Again in World War II, 1.5 million Anglo-Indian soldiers (including Muslims, Hindus and Sikhs) came to defend Africa and Europe. 130,000 of them came to France where thousands died or were wounded. They earned 16 Battle Honors and 14 Theatre Honors. On May 28, 1940, 300 Indian soldiers (all of them Muslims) and 23 British troops evacuated the city of Dunkirk, but their story has been mostly forgotten, as well as in movies about Dunkirk. Read about it here or on the BBC report here. (World War Two: The forgotten Indian soldiers of Dunkirk.) Numerous soldiers hailing from former French trading posts in India - now in present day Pondicherry/Puducherry - also fought in France. France never forgot the suffering and heroism of all these men. President Macron tweeted "This 14 July, soldiers and Rafale aircraft from India are marching and flying alongside our troops. We honor the memory of those who fough with the French in the two World Wars." Photo below British Indian Army Service Corps on parade in France in 1940 (courtesy Wikipedia.)

Another unsung hero coming from India was Noor Inayat Khan (1914-1944) the descendant of Indian royalty. She was the daughter of an Indian Sufi mystic, Inayat Khan, born in Bombay. He lived in Europe as a musician and teacher of Sufism where he became the head of the "Sufi Order of the West." Her mother was an American, Ora Ray Baker, born in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Noor, also known as Nora Baker, was an SOE agent under the French Resistance, her code name was "Madeleine." She was the first female wireless operator sent from the UK to aid the French Resistance during World War II. She was betrayed, captured, tortured then executed at the Dachau concentration camp in Germany. On January 16, 1946, French President Charles de Gaulle awarded her the Croix de Guerre (highest civilian honor.) She was also honored with the British S. George Cross. There is a plaque (shown below) outside her family home in Suresnes, France. A band plays there every year on Bastille Day. A square in the city of Suresnes has been named Cours Madeleine after her. Photos courtesy the National Archives and Noor Inayat Khan Memorial Trust: top left Noor and her mother Ora, next to Noor playing her veena instrument; bottom photo of Noor's family.

A school in Suresnes, a city 9.3 km (5.7 miles) from the center of Paris, is named after her.

French history with India is a long one, over three centuries, from 1674 to 1954. I remember when I was a small girl studying in Paris public primary school, France still had trading posts in India. I had to memorize their difficult to pronounce names. They sounded so exotic - I dreamed of visiting these far-away places. I have not yet, but it's still on my list... In 1673, under the reign of French King Louis XIV, France purchased Chandernagore from the Mughal Governor of Bengal. The following year France purchased Pondicherry from the Sultan of Bijapur, and other parts of south India. After the Treaty of Paris of 1763 France only kept five "comptoirs" (or trading posts) in India: Pondicherry, Chandernagor, Karikal, Mahe and Yanaon. (I still remember their names!) When India obtained its independence from the UK in 1947, talks were taken to return four of the French comptoirs to the Indian Union. This was done on November 1, 1954. However the people of Pondicherry were pro-French and feared the overpowering weight of the Indian administrative machinery. After several years of negotiations, an agreement was reached between France and India and a treaty was ratified by the French Parliament in July 1962. By this treaty Pondicherry became Indian Territory and its inhabitants Indian nationals. However, France gave them a six-month opportunity to obtain French citizenship - 8000 of them signed up. It was difficult for them to decide as they were Indians but also went to French schools, spoke French and had been imbued with French culture.

Of course, now sixty-two years later, the French influence in Pondicherry is fading away, but still...it retains some French culture, for example the headgear of the policemen represents the design adopted in France. There are many French-style houses left along the Bay of Bengal. Pondicherry has a large "French" area in town, with French city streets, cobblestones, restaurants, etc. French is one of the official languages of the Pondicherry's government. A French church, built in 1855, offers mass in three languages - Tamil, French and English. Many streets have retained their French names. There are still 5,500 French-Indian and French people living there, many retire there from France as well. A few years ago the film "The Life of Pi" was filmed in Pondicherry, starting with a scene in the shaded and peaceful Jardins Botaniques. (Photos courtesy Pondy Tourism.)

Pondicherry, Pondichéry in French, Pondy for short or Puducherry, as it is officially known, is not a large town. It is about 150 miles from the large city of Chennai (was Madras) on the south eastern coast of India. It's a little bit of France in India. The French Quarter is reminiscent of the New Orleans French Quarter. There is a French Consulate (see their sign in the heading photo) French school and college, The Alliance Francaise, French bakeries and shops and, of course, the celebrations of the 14 of July, or Bastille Day in India.

Bastille Day is a yearly festival in Pondy. On the evening of the 13th there is a lantern march along the Beach Promenade followed by a public dancing for 600 people. Several buildings are illuminated in blue, white and red after the French flag. The police band plays national songs of India and France as part of the celebration. On the 14th, there is a march to the monuments honoring French-Indians and Indians who died in the wars and also to the statue of Mahatma Gandhi (that is illuminated in the tri-colors.) In the evening of the 14th traditional fireworks are fired in front of the French Consulate. I don't think another foreign country in Asia (or anywhere else) sponsors an official French Bastille Day.

Meanwhile, in Paris, on this July 14, 2023, the crowd attended the usual free concert followed by the fireworks shot from the Eiffel Tower. (Photos courtesy City of Paris.)

The sunflower, a symbol of hope and solidarity

Downton Abbey part two was supposed to be my next post, but time went by, bad weather and mostly with the current events I just could not write it - it is delayed. These are sad times. Trying to be a bit optimistic I decided to write on the sunflower after reading how this flower has become a worldwide symbol of solidarity for Ukraine and its citizens since the Russian invasion. The sunflower is also a symbol of loyalty, hope, happiness, strength, good fortune and peace.

The Latin name of the sunflower is Helianthus Annuus which is a combination of the Greek word helios meaning sun and anthos meaning flower. Evidence suggests that around 3000 BC the plant was cultivated by American Indians in what are present day New Mexico and Arizona. They used it in ceremonies and many other ways. Explorers brought the sunflower to Europe in the 16th century. Commercialization of the plant began in Russia. Ukraine started growing the crops in the 1700s and is now the world's major supplier of sunflower oil. Below are vintage postcards of sunflowers.

When writing my Tour de France posts I like to include photos of the racers biking along sunflower fields.

This striking and beautiful plant is admired by many. Famous painters have used it as an inspiration in their art. The Dutch artist Vincent Van Gogh (1853-1890) painted a series of sunflowers starting in 1887 then again in Arles in the south of France.

Van Gogh's friend, the French artist Paul Gauguin (1848-1903,) visited Vincent in Arles and painted sunflowers as well, as shown below.

Two other famous French artists, Matisse and Monet painted the lovely "tournesol" as it is known in French. It comes from the Latin tornare and sol, or turning toward the sun.

Current famous people have been seen with the sunflower. First US Lady, Dr. Jill Biden, wore a face mask embroidered with Ukraine's national flower to show support for the brave people of Ukraine. Prince Charles of Wales and Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, placed sunflowers on March 2, 2022, at the altar of the Ukrainian Catholic Cathedral and praised the Ukrainian bravery amid the Russian aggression. (Courtesy People.com and New York Post.)

If only these strong flowers could help save Ukraine. It does not look good right now. Russia is intensifying their airstrikes on civilian buildings, hospitals, schools, mosques and churches. So far hundreds of civilians including children have been killed as well as 1300 Ukrainian soldiers. Ukrainian refugees have fled to neighboring countries - more than 1.5 million to Poland so far, many to Hungary, Romania and other places. If the Russian public could witness this terrible tragedy they would be horrified, but it is as if the iron curtain has fallen again with its propaganda. The Russian public is totally in the dark and fed constant disinformation, blaming the victim.

The free press and independent media have been shut down; if someone tells the truth they risk years in jail. It is becoming like North Korea with unreal news and total isolation. Now the rest of the world is worried of the risk caused by Russian forces occupying Chernobyl and Zaporizhzhia, two of Ukraine's nuclear plants. A third plant, Yuzhnoukrainsk, is also at risk with Russian troops only 20 miles away. The planet could be in peril. The stems and leaves of the sunflower plant absorb radiation but it would take zillion of them if incidents happen in these nuclear plants. It is difficult to stay optimistic and keep looking to the sun.

Several years ago my late husband and I visited the Biltmore Estate in Asheville, North Carolina, the 250-room chateau that George Vanderbilt completed in 1898. We spent a week-end there and had time to walk through the gardens and grounds. It was in August and the sunflower fields were in full blooms. I was able to get close to the flowers.

The sunflowers have shown to absorb toxic elements and radiation, they clean up the environment. In 1996 at the Nuclear Age Peace Foundation former US Secretary of Defense William Perry said: "Sunflowers instead of missiles in the soil will ensure peace for future generations." Alas, I don't think his words were heard by all the nations. Slava Ukraini!

Australia and New Zealand invited to Paris for Bastille Day and an addendum

Troops from Australia and New Zealand were guests of honor in Paris national celebration day called "le 14 juillet" in France (but Bastille's Day outside the country.)  The two Oceania countries were invited to commemorate the Battle of the Somme, one of the bloodiest battles of World War I.  This battle centenary was celebrated on July 1, 2016, in Thiepval, Somme, France.  I wrote about this in my last post.  The Australian Imperial Force (AIF) had sent 295,000 men to France and Belgium to serve in WWI between March 1916 and November 1918.  Of these, 132,000 became casualties and 46,000 lost their lives.

New Zealand Forces had a total of 364 Pacific Islanders and 2688 Maori in addition to regular troops serving on the Western Front in the 1916-1918 war.  A total of 18,500 New Zealanders died in or because of the war and nearly 50,000 more were wounded.

 The Australian and New Zealand Army Corps suffered more than 30,000 casualties in the Battle of the Somme alone, and their sacrifice has not been forgotten by France.  As guests of honor Australia and New Zealand marched in the parade.  Eight Maori warriors were at the head of the parade, followed by 72 New Zealand soldiers and 133 Australian soldiers.  It is the first time that the flags they were carrying had been paraded together outside of New Zealand.  A party of Maori warriors opened the parade this morning.  A Maori warrior, Private Adrian Te Aonui, ran along the Champs-Elysees in a dress rehearsal and was photographed by the international media.

I got up at 4:30 am this morning, July 14, 2016, to watch the parade live on my computer (10:30 am Paris time.)  I took several photos from my screen, but some are not very clear.

The parade was led by Maori warriors followed by an 85-strong New Zealand Defense Force (NZDF) contingent, many wearing replica World War One uniforms.  There were also regimental colors and banners representing NZDF units that served in WWI.  Lieutenant Colonel Eugene Whakahoehoe was leading the contingent and wore the Ngā Tapuwae kahu huruhuru Māori feather cloak in recognition of his exemplary conduct and contribution to the NZDF.  (Click on collage to enlarge.)

A TV reporter interviewed one of the Maori warriors and asked about his weapon.  He explained that it was a "taiaha" a traditional weapon made of wood and used for short, sharp strikes with quick footwork from the wielder.  The warrior had also placed a new engraving showing the trip to Paris drawn as a friendly link between New Zealand and France.

The Maori warrior party in the parade was comprised of personnel from all three services of the NZDF.  The Maori warriors were known as a fierce, unforgiving slayer of the South Seas.  The Parisians were quite impressed (and so was I.)

Prime Minister John Key of New Zealand and his family attended this Bastille Day celebration in Paris with French President Francois Hollande.  New Zealand Chief of Defense Force Lieutenant General Tim Keating said it was an honor to march in one of the world's oldest and largest military parades.  "This is an historic occasion for the New Zealand Defence Force and a fitting opportunity to reaffirm our enduring relationship with France, especially during the First World War centenary" he said.  He added that there were more New Zealand service personnel with known and unkown graves buried in France than anywhere else in the world.  The nine New Zealand Army regimental colors, including the Queen Alexandra's Mounted Rifles guidon, carried World War I battle honors and represented regions across New Zealand.  The Governor-General of Australia, Sir Peter John Cosgrove, was also present.  The Australian Defense Force marched in a "position of honor."  Contingents included the Royal Australian Navy, Army and Royal Australian Air Force and a tri-service flag party, or in total 140 members.  It is the first time that both Australian and New Zealand forces have paraded in Paris since 1880.  France and Australia have deepened their ties since Australia signed a contract last April to have France design and build a 34 billion euro ($39 billion) next generation submarine for them.

The parade had a total of 3,239 men and women walking, 241 on horses, 212 vehicles, 55 aircraft, 30 helicopters and 35 specialized working dogs.  The only novelty this year was that the French Customs (Douane) personnel were  marching down the Champs-Elysees for the first time in almost 100 years. They had come down once before, in 1919, for the Victory parade celebrating the bravery of their agents during WWI.  The Customs services were re-activated after the 13 November 2015 terror attack in Paris at the Bataclan.  To enable them to march in unison the 49 Customs agents were trained for 6 hours during three weeks.

I was pleased to have gotten up during the night to watch this parade live.  The fireworks would come later on but I wanted to watch the Tour de France next.  I went down to the kitchen for a quick cup of coffee and turned on the television at 7:30 am to watch the 12th stage of the Tour.  I did not want to miss this stage because I knew they were supposed to finish at the top of Mont Ventoux.  I remember the Mont Ventoux well from when I was a wee child.  I lived close to its base, in the small town of Vaison-la-Romaine, with my grandparents until I was about 4 years old.  It is called the Giant of Provence, rising 350 to 1,912 meters high (6273 feet) with a lunar landscape at its top.  Since 1990 it has been listed as a Biosphere reserve by UNESCO.  It has a unique biodiversity of more than 1,000 species of plants, flowers, trees, 120 varieties of birds including golden eagles and duck hawks.  In my 2009 post about the Tour de France I wrote about the Mont Ventoux - click here to see it.  In that post I showed a photo of my granddad and me in Vaison.  I returned  as a teenager and stayed in my grandparents' friends' farm in Vaison, near lavender fields, for monthly vacations.

Since then I always wished to return to Vaison-la-Romaine.  I went back to Provence several times but never made it back to Vaison.  We did go to Nice in October 2012 and rented an apartment not far from the Promenade des Anglais for a week, but we did not have a car.  I included a picture of the bay of Nice I took in late October 2012 in the collage above.  That picture was in a post on Nice I wrote on another Tour de France in 2013 - click here to read it.   I still have many pictures of Nice and need to write another post in the future.  But let's get back to the Tour.  Because of fierce winds, with gusts measuring 104 kph, it was decided that this stage would finish at Chalet Reynard, a ski resort restaurant, about 9.5 km (approx 6 miles) from the top.  So far the cyclists had had a good run, although the wind, called "le Mistral" was blowing hard.

Thousands of spectators had been already camping along the route to Mont Ventoux and had to retreat to the small restaurant.  The crowd was immense along the narrow road as they had to assemble at the finish instead of being along the 6 mile road.  The Chalet Reynard is an old ski refuge dating to 1927 which was updated as a restaurant.  It stands at 1,417 meters (4650 ft,) alone, on the road to the top of the mountain.  This is why this stage ended in chaos.

As I watched TV in disbelief, the yellow jersey (winner of the Tour so far) British Chris Froome, was walking then running up the road without his bicycle!  A first in all the years I have been watching the Tour.  What had happened is this - less than 1 km from the finish the camera motorcycle had to stop in front of a wall of 100-200 people standing on the road.  Australian cyclist Richie Porte collided violently against the stopped motorcycle and Chris Froome piled on top of him.  Then another motorcyclist ran over Chris' bicycle and broke it.  Without a bike Christ started to jog up the mountain for a couple of minutes so as not to lose time.  Spectators watching this and other cyclists passing him were in shock.  It certainly was a mess, it was crazy.  Then he was handed a "neutral" bike that he tried to ride a bit, but could not.  Finally he was given another bike and finished, but late.

The Tour de France race jury ruled that Chris Froome had lost his bike through no fault of his own and let him retain the yellow jersey.  Chris said "Ventoux is full of surprises ... I am happy with the jury's decision."  It certainly was a wacky conclusion to the 12th stage today.  It is a farce for the Tour that will be talked about for years.  I think that the race organizers need to keep better control of the crowds, and above all on Bastille Day when everyone is out; they need to respect the cyclists.  It is like if spectators were allowed in pools while swimmers were in a swimming match - that is not right.  Anyway it had been a fun Bastille Day and I am pleased I got up to watch all of it.  I came back up to the computer this afternoon after watching the Tour to write this post and now, at 7:15 pm, am finally going down to fix dinner.  I am still reading on Brexit and will try to talk about it in my next post.

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

Addendum - Friday 15 July, 2016.  Yesterday evening after finishing the above post I went downstairs and saw the end of the news on TV.  My husband had been watching but because of his Alzheimer had not understood what had happened in France.  I was stunned by the horror of the tragedy: a massacre of happy families with children and tourists on the 14 of July enjoying the fireworks in our lovely city of Nice - truly a city for joie de vivre.  The Promenade des Anglais (The English Walk) is beautiful and a destination for happiness, not despair.  The truck, without its lights on, zigzagged on the Promenade for over a mile mowing adults, children and babies - he killed at least 84, including 10 children, and there are over 200 in hospitals including 52 critically injured.  A hero jumped in the cab and seized the driver's revolver.  This hero saved many lives by stopping the truck on its murderous route.  The police was able then to shoot the terrorist down.  I did not feel like going back up to the computer last night and publish my happy post about Bastille Day.  Now I added a sad cartoon by Plantu to my heading picture.  What can I say?  I just have intense grief.  How many more cities and countries can we keep adding to - je suis Charlie, je suis Paris, je suis Beyrouth, je suis Bamako, je suis Bruxelles, je suis Orlando, je suis Bagdad, je suis Bangladesh, je suis Istanbul and now je suis Nice?  Je suis infiniment triste (I am infinitely sad.)