Düsseldorfer Schloss

Ever since the signing of the Élysée Treaty in 1963 France and Germany have gone to great lengths to become as united as possible. The Frankreichfest in Düsseldorf -- that takes place every year on the weekend around the 14th of July -- is carried out with that intention in mind.

It was a rainy weekend but that didn't stop over 100,000 visitors making their way to the Altstadt and checking out the Frankreichfest. I went along with a few French friends and we potted about the stalls. I was happy to try a Galette but steadfastly refused to give the Champignons a go. Cheeses, wines, Crepes, old Citroen cars, a 15 meter Eiffel Tower – everything you would expect was there. Each year, it is the turn of a different French region and this year it was Brittany’s. So there was pipe music, too, and people dressed in traditional Breton costume

Meanwhile, in Brussels, Eurozone leaders gathered to negotiate the future of Greece. It is generally assumed that Merkel has run a tight ship in Germany and in Europe for the past decade or so. Whilst, on the other hand, Hollande is often reported as being the most unpopular French president there's been. One thing is for sure, though, and that is that Hollande and Hollande alone who has been the sole rational voice over the Greece crisis. This weekend was a triumph for French diplomacy, and Hollande has single handedly prevented Germany from inflicting a lot of reputational damage upon itself.Lue lisää