Saturday was an important day for the Wambo team. It was Bastille Day, the French National Holiday. In France, people celebrate it with fireworks and a military parade on the Champs Elysee, in Paris. You would think that being in the United States, nobody even knows what Bastille Day is. Well… in San Francisco, THEY DO!

On Saturday night, there was a street party in Belden Place, the “little French quarter” of San Francisco. It was packed! People began jamming the bars at 5pm and the party soon spread out to other places on Bush and California streets. Many French expats gathered at Cafe Bastille, Cafe Claude and Cafe de la Presse, but surprisingly the crowd was mainly comprised of American people! Believe me or not, but for the whole night I heard a lot more “Happy Bastille Day” (in English) than “Joyeux 14 juillet” (in French).

Well, when you think about it, it’s not that surprising. In San Francisco, every kind of foreign festival is always a good excuse to go out and party. Since the beginning of the year, we’ve had Chinese New Year in February, St Patrick’s day (Irish) in March, Beer Fest (German) in April, Cinco de Mayo (Mexican) in May and, as you know, Bastille Day last weekend… And you know what? Whatever the event is, wherever it comes from, it’s always a good opportunity to go out and enjoy a beer with your coworkers.

AL