Last night, we attended the pre-event festivities for National Day. By my early analysis, it would seem that the pre-event activities are the best part of the holiday. We walked from our apartment down into the city center just before dusk — about 9pm, after we had dinner. The streets were packed with both with families and young adults, with everyone in high spirits. There were lots of tents with food, beer, wine and cocktails, and every restaurant was open with lots of outdoor seating.
The torch-light parade began at 10 and it was enthralling. The torches were like swords that burned from the top down. They were held by almost all the parade participants, including very young children. (more…)
