Memorable Moments - Part Two

 

Vidock: Handsome Neighs, EveryFriend. The Big V here. As it's Monday, I thought I would host. We would like to start by thanking you for being so patient with us. We are still in the thick of our struggle with the nasty client but we are going to try and return to regular blogging this week.

So, we left off last week after our adventure in Amiens. Late on the Saturday night, we drove to a place near Paris where we overnighted and then, early on Sunday morning, we drove into the heart of Paris. We were stationed on Avenue Marceau, which is one fo the avenues that radiate from the Arc de Triomphe. The avenue was closed to traffic and, as the morning went on, completely filled with horseboxes.

They started putting on the decorations, first on Violette, and the TV cameras were there!

Pretty soon, Violette and I were all decked out:

In Paris, however, Heloise did not get to wear the full gear. Something had scared her a bit the previous evening in Amiens and some of the Japanese said horrible things about her. They even asked #1 to leave her behind! Can you imagine that? Needless to say, #1 refused. She assured the Japanese that Heloise would be fine, and they finally agreed for her to come and join in, although with only minimal "clothing":

You could say that, this way, her gorgeousness was even more visible to everyone!

When the time came for the parade, I was ready to roll!

After a big snuggle with #1:

Here is Violette, with Mr. Kikuchi, whose family decorations she was wearing, and the Arc de Triomphe in the background:

And suddenly there we were, ambling down the Champs Elysées, with all the crowds cheering! If you would like some background music, you can listen to this.

We walked down the Champs Elysées and then through the streets of Paris:

Despite what had been said about her, Heloise was an absolute star and beautifully behaved from start to finish. Violette and I are old pros at big outings, but it was her first time, and she was great! In fact, she even ended up walking at the head of the festival parade!

When it was all over, we enjoyed our very own version of a Paris sidewalk café with a serving of hay!

And then it was back on board for the journey home:

#1 stayed overnight at Ms. C's and the next morning, she found us happy to be back in our field.

Even though there has been so much disappointment and heartbreak, and a real sense of betrayal in how #1 was treated by the Japanese (Not, we hasten to add, by the festival people), we are all aware that this was a truly amazing experience, one of those once in a lifetime opportunities, and are thankful for that. Hopefully, with the passing of time, the good memories will remain and the bad ones fade. We would like to thank all of you again for your kindness and support.