Vichy on National Day - Tour through the Belle Époque

Just at the beginning of the tour, a small parade passed by us through the spa park to celebrate July 14th.

A guide from the tourist information introduced us to the time of Napoleon III, who became president and later emperor in 1852 as the nephew of Napoleon I.

He came to Vichy several times for treatment, which flourished from then until World War I.

We saw the villas he had built for himself - two identical houses, each rotated by 180°.

The reason for this was the large balcony that initially faced the street, where Napoleon III could not sit in peace due to onlookers shouting at him.

He therefore had an identical house built with the balcony facing the park, which offered more distance from curious spectators.

After the tour, we refreshed ourselves by the water with “Moules Frites” (mussels with fries) and took a very French lunch break.

Before all the French returned from the dining tables, we were already at the opera, which was open that afternoon.

It was opened as part of the casino in 1865 with 1,483 spectator seats.

The decoration is very floral in the “Art Nouveau” style.

It was decorated in golden and ivory tones, as the usual red color seemed too aggressive for spa guests.

Afterward, we actually wanted to go on a boat trip, but unfortunately, no one was there at the departure time, so we strolled a bit through the shopping street instead.

Before we headed to the evening program of July 14th, we took a break by the camper.

In the evening, there was first an open-air concert of the symphonic wind orchestra of Vichy.

Thereafter, we went to the light show “Son & Lumières” at the casino.

Images were projected onto the facade of the building that told the story of Vichy.

The fountains in front of the building were illuminated and shot differently high from the ground - much to the delight of many children who were also cooling off here late in the evening.

The fireworks that usually take place on National Day were canceled due to extreme dryness and heat, so we made our way back after the light show.