Bastille Day in Paris! The celebration starts off with a military parade down the Champs Elysées so once we were up, Zhewen and I headed over there after grabbing some delicious pastries from a nearby bakery. We exited the metro and were immediately in the midst of a gigantic crowd of people lining the avenue. Thousands upon thousands of spectators watched and cheered as military officers passed by on foot, horseback or in every army vehicle imaginable. Some people were even using disposable periscopes to see over the crowds. Attempting to go anywhere was almost impossible as bodies pressed in from all sides. Slowly we made our way down the Champs Elysées in the direction of the Arc de Triomphe as jeeps, tanks and artillery paraded by. Once the parade had ended, jets and helicopters flew overhead in formation and drew the last cheers from the crowd. Eventually we made it down to the Arc de Triomphe but it was closed for the holiday so we settled on the view of it from the center of the Champs Elysées. We shuffled through the crowds again and back onto the metro to our hostel. Sarfraz had to finish a paper for his exchange program so we all hung out with him in the room for the rest of the afternoon. Zhewen had a train to catch so we said goodbye to him and then it was me and the four Aussies! At dusk there were fireworks over the Eiffel Tower so we stocked up on some drinks and hopped on the metro. It seemed like everyone in Paris had the same idea cause the streets around the tower were swarmed with people. As we were walking towards the grass area in front of the Eiffel Tower we were stopped by a baricade of police officers who told us that alcohol was forbidden. So we ended up drinking on the street corner with everyone else who had brought drinks. Just as we were about to get on our way, we met an American named Meg who told us of a better spot to watch the fireworks. We followed this complete stranger to an area south of the Eiffel Tower which turned out to be a great vantage spot. The fireworks were spectacular and with the Eiffel Tower glittering amongst the splashes of lights and colors, it certainly surpassed any 4th of July celebration I've been to. In the craziness of the celebration, Sarfraz and I lost the other three but we hung out with Meg until she had to return home. When we got back to the hostel, they were all there so we partied into the night at the bar. Bastille Day in Paris was one of the most incredible experiences of my life! Tonight is my last night here (bound for Munich tomorrow), what a way to go out with a bang!