I spy with my little eye... soldiers and firemen on Bastille Day.

Today is Bastille day! Liberte, Egalite, Fraternite kiddos! I'm always amazed when I hear foreign people singing along the first words of the Marseillaise: "Allons enfants de la patrie". My guess is that they have no idea what comes next, so I thought I would translate the first verse for you. But before I do so, I want to make two things straight: 

1- this is the most violent anthem I've ever heard, it's dated from the French revolution, 18th century, 

2- despite it's violence, it's my national anthem and I love it.
So here it goes:

"Let's go children of the nation, the day of glory has arrived! Against us stands tyranny, the bloody standard is raised! Do you hear in our fields, the baying of these ferocious soldiers? They come into our arms, to slit the throats of our sons, our wives! To arms, Citizens! Form your battalions! Let's march, let's march! So that the impure blood should water the furrows of our fields!". Yes, that's what we teach our children. As romantic as Paris sounds to the world, you don't mess with us!

And so after the military march and anthem, we usually take over every fire station in Paris and dance till dawn with pilots, sailors and soldiers from all army corps! That's how we do national day: violent anthem and dancing, see, some things don't change!