With Europe in turnmoil it is nice to find that the French are still able to celebrate their national day away from home.
Over the years Bastille Day has become quite a large celebration in Sydney. Falling on a week day this year, Bastille Day celebrations were on Saturday 16th July 2016.
One of the events was the 4 day French Festival (BBF) held along the main street of Circular Quay running parallel to the train station and outside the forecourt of Customs House stretching one block East of Customs House and one block West of Customs House.
The festival was split into 3 sections each occupying a block. East of Customs House outside of the AMP building was The French Canadian Village. In the centre outside Customs House was The French Village and West of customs House outside the old McDonald's Restaurant was the EU or European French Village all demarcated by a statue of a horse painted in the appropriate national flags/colours. (No sign of the UK being represented in the EU Village during Bastille Day celebrations this year! - a reminder of what's happening in Europe)
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| The French Village |
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| This is what I had for dinner at the Bastille Day celebrations - Marron Special ie crepes filled with chestnut paste with walnuts and topped with whipped cream however I had chocolate instead of the whipped cream as I am lactose intolerant - comments from passers by of how delicious it looked! |
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| Live French music centre stage |
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| The Canadian Village |
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| Yes read the menu board - poutine with foie gras!!!! |
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| What's a Canadian Village without maple products?! |
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| Fake hockey |
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| Are these real Beaver Tails? I haven't had one of these for years . These are sold in Whistler both sweet and savoury. Popular toppings are chocolate or smoked salmon. In Sydney these were renamed platails ( as in platypus tails) and no chocolat topping option only maple syrup or sugar - how unFrench and it just doesn't have the same ring to it! |
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| The EU (European) Village |
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| This is also what I had at the Bastille Day celebrations - pizza topped with mushrooms, a very small amount of cheese,caramelised onions and confit duck ( no foie gras !) with green spinach leaves straight out of a woodfire oven |
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| There was an awful stink near the pizza stand and I realised what it was from - this potatos meat and fromage - but not just any fromage RACLETTE cheese - is that meant to translate to "Rancid" Cheese? I stayed away from this due to my lactose intolerance! |
In a belated Happy Bastille Day email I sent to my French French, European French and Canadian French friends is a translation of what I wrote :
"Photos attachees a la facon dont Bastille Day est celebre a Sydney en Australie.
Pour les Francais - crepes, foie gras, fromage, baguettes et beaucoup de champagne et le vin.
Pour les Francais europeennes - la pizza, des chocolats,des quiches, des frites et faits maison limonade et bien surcde ne pas oublier les Francais du Canada avec poutines (avec canard ou foie gras - oui!), vin chaud, produits de sirop d' erable et Queues de castors."
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