"Aux Armes Les Citoyens!"

Quatorze Juillet!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lu3eSNi__4w 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/R%C3%A9giment_de_marche_du_Tchad

pl

Comments

[Valissa]

Happy Bastille Day everyone! http://bit.ly/1LeGUOF

Boston Snow Pile Finally Melts After Historic Winter http://boston.cbslocal.com/2015/07/14/boston-snow-pile-finally-melts-after-historic-winter/

Iran Nuclear Deal: Who Got What, The Winners and Losers http://abcnews.go.com/International/iran-nuclear-deal-winners-losers/story?id=32437227

Much to celebrate today :)

[Patrick Bahzad]

Weather: sunny
Outdoor temperature: great
Outlook: good

Suggested course of action: méchoui, merguez & harissa, taboulé and "Sidi Brahim" rosé ...

[BabelFish]

At 21:22 hours the night of August 24, 1944, the 9th Armoured Company burst into the centre of Paris via the Porte d'Italie. On entering the Town Hall Square, a 9th Company tank, "Ebro", fired the first shots against a large group of German artillery and machine guns. Civilians took to the streets singing La Marseillaise, and were surprised when they discovered that the soldiers that had turned the course of the battle of Paris were of Spanish origin. Later, the commander of the 9th Company, Raymond Dronne, demanded unconditional surrender from the German commander, Dietrich von Choltitz.

[The Beaver]

Not Bibi and some Congressmen and women on the Hill

[Valissa]

I can celebrate their discomfort... by pretending to play a very small violin ;)

[BabelFish]

It has been many years since I've thought of Rose wine. I know they have wonderful rose wines in Provence, but what they used to market as rose here in America was little better than kool aid with alcohol in it.

[turcopolier]

Babelfish

You should try Anton Bauer Austrian Rose. pl

[The Twisted Genius]

In solidarity with her sister city, Frejus, Fredericksburg celebrates Bastille Day.

http://www.fredericksburg.com/entertainment/fredericksburg-celebrates-french-national-holiday/article_147ce7b8-299b-11e5-8b90-bbf689553d80.html

https://www.facebook.com/fredericksburgfrejus

And without a drop of French blood in my veins, this scene always brings tears to my eyes and leaves me with an urge to march on somebody.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lbfcRu4UPbg

[Ursa Maior]

Ah Frejus. A beautiful provanceal city. Spent a week there last year with family.

[shepherd]

BabelFish,

I think you wrong Kool Aid with alcohol. I made it through a long stint in Central America on various versions of it with rum and a twist of lime. If I had to rely on that old rose, things would have gotten ugly.

The local Boozemart here keeps Provencal rose chilled. Great summertime drink. Patrick's suggested pairing reminded me that while I've got no local source for good merguez, I do have a meat grinder, a great butcher, and the day off.

[Valissa]

One more thing to celebrate today!

New Horizons probe flies past Pluto nine years after leaving Earth http://www.theguardian.com/science/2015/jul/14/nasas-new-horizons-probe-makes-pluto-flyby-nine-years-after-leaving-earth

Photos of Pluto — Images from NASA's New Horizons mission http://www.vox.com/2015/7/13/8920645/new-horizons-pluto-mission-photos

[BabelFish]

Thanks, Pat. Given our heat index in Jax is hitting 107 F, I will probably try that this weekend.

[BabelFish]

I have a friend vacationing in Provence right now, sending back pictures of the lavender in bloom. We had a lavender farm down the road from us when we lived in Bucks County (PA). Loved seeing it in bloom.

[BabelFish]

shepherd, almost, repeat, almost resorted to that as a young sailor.

We finally decided on a concoction of 200 proof medical alcohol and grapefruit juice. Serious discussions did abound on how much to mix one with another, so as to not just plain kill ourselves.

We finally stopped this practice when we were all roused to assist in an emergency surgery prior to the proper liver burning off alcohol time had occurred.

[David Habakkuk]

Patrick Bahzad,

'Aux Armes Les Citoyens.'

It brings out my reactionary side, I am afraid. Later on, I will have a stiff whisky, and drink to the memory of Marie Antoinette – and perhaps even Joseph de Maistre.

And, of course, I will drink to old allies: Blucher's Prussians, at Plancenoit, and of course one of the greatest of Russian commanders, that Baltic bourgeois Mikhail Barclay de Tolly, Scottish in ethnic origin, German in culture, Lutheran in religion.

[Patrick Bahzad]

The cotes de Provence rosé wines are real good in general, however the "sidi brahim" is a relic of our colonial time in Algeria and is a favourite among many french, in particular in the marine infantry troops. As for the food, typical blend of North African and levant recipes with a touch of mainland frenchness thrown into the mix ! Add couscous and you have some of the french people's favourite food.

[Patrick Bahzad]

Frejus has also been home to a number of Marine Infantry regiments, notably the 21e Regiment d'infanterie de Marine, which is quite dear to my heart.

[Patrick Bahzad]

DH, that's fine with me no worries ... Leaves more merguez baguette for the rest of us ! And we dont hold grudges against our oldest enemy. Careful on the whisky though, Scotland is our oldest ally :-)

[Medicine Man]

Happy Bastille Day, Mes Amis.

Someone once said that charm can be more effective than a cannon. I've always imagined the French reply to be "why not have both?"

[nick b]

Col.,

Austrian wines are highly underrated. You recommend this one? The price looks inviting.

You once said that you and I were as different as Germans and Austrians. I've always wondered which one I was. :)

[The Twisted Genius]

BabelFish,

Shipboard hooch. My father had to make sergeant twice in the Marine Corps due to his still blowing up on a troop ship. Back then such hijinks were the mark of initiative. I fondly remember the big crock of dandelion wine down in the cellar. That, the applejack and the home-brew beer were damned fine.

[D]

Bonne fête nationale à nôtre frère République

[turcopolier]

nick b

Yes, I recommend this one. pl

[BabelFish]

TTG, still laughing. That was mark of a good Marine!

I hid bottles of Galliano in the medical spaces so we could try to make Harvey Wallbangers. I had a Hackerbrau stein that I would fill with the concoction. Many dead brain cells.

Home brew: there's a whole new crop of home brewers out there, including my step-son. Many are into this super-hoppy stuff, which I think is wretched. On the other hand, my uncles would home brew when I was growing up. Tried it in high school and it absolutely put me on my ass.

[Ulenspiegel]

Re: Austrian wines et al.

The red wine are good but often overrated/overpriced in comparion to French or Italian competitors, this according to Austrian colleagues who have real expertise.

The white wines are usually very good and have own style.

Rose wines (Schilcher in Styria) cover the whole spectrum, from very cheap stuff to very decents wines which have often no problems to compete with French rose. The Austrian roses are usually very dry and fruity, but Spätlesen are also available.

The clear advantage is that you can get good stuff for reasonable price from the vintner, often families who ran in addition to their core business a kind of pub (Buschenschank, Heuriger).

However, where IMHO Austria really shines are fruit brandies, you get amazing stuff, the German products are no real competition. . :-)