By which I mean that Jane and I went up to the top floor balcony[0]. One of the joys of having an exposed stair is that each flat has a wee balcony by which we can get to our actual front doors. From that far above the close, the view was fucking fantastic and we were close enough to hear the music from the bandstand without need of a radio.
This plan was slightly hampered by one thing: I have a phobia of exposed heights. I'm fine as long as there's no obvious indication that a stray gust of wind will send me plummeting from the exposed structure on which I stand to a painful gravity-assisted death. But on the other hand, I've been to the top of the Olympiaturm in Munich, and seen the views from both Notre Dame and the Eiffel Tower. At least I know I can deal with it long enough to get a majestic view of what was a spectacular display of pyrotechnics.
[0]: Fifth floor for Yanks, fourth floor for sane people.
