La folie

Another crazy weekend, Friday seeing a hip hop concert at the Elephant Pub, called Les Gourmets (because they like to eat, one eats up their music, and Lyon where they are from is known for food). Then Saturday we went to watch breakdancing and graffiti in the Place Jean-Jaures. As usual the French were late so we ate quiche at a cafe and then saw some graffiti being done while the breakdancing floor was being set up. Suddenly an old man with gangsta written on his pants decided to do this odd zen like strecthing for two hours! And nobody stopped him so I thought he was getting ready to dance but he never did, and finally when the dancers came they had to pull him off the stage! The dancers were really good but it was a long wait of watching that man for a short show. The streets were packed with the tram strike and all of the festivities for the extramuros festival. We went back to the Hotel de Ville right when it was time for the parade and I can't put it into words because it was so random but at the same time must have been carefully planned out. You actually were a part of the parade walking with the actors and musicians of the Halloween-like circus. Dancing with them, taking pictures with them, being blinded by their flares. It was very surreal, and then it all came together at the train station where acrobats were pulled up in the air and performed on steel birds and anchors and chairs. Even with pictures and words I can't explain it, but it makes me not as excited for next year's Detroit Thanksgiving Parade.