Courtyard jugglers and other strange sights

New Year's Day was a beautiful day in Lyon. But even on a warm sunny day, in wintertime the light hugs the horizon, and you need to get away from the city buildings to feel the rays on your skin. I took the opportunity to go for a run along the quai and then into the Parc de la Tête d'Or. Whenever I run, I distract myself from the agony by people-watching. There's always something interesting to see in a city -- whether it's women taking a walk along the quai in stiletto high heels (how do they DO that??) or a political demonstration (a friend once quipped that the "grève" is the national sport of France) or a fender-bender followed by a screaming match (good thing that guns are illegal here). Yesterday I saw the biggest dog I've ever seen in my life. It looked like a black bear on a leash.

After returning home from my run, I opened our kitchen window to let in the last remaining rays of sunshine.  Hearing voices, I looked out onto the courtyard below to see a man and woman juggling bowling pins. They weren't very good, but they were having a great time, laughing at their mistakes and occasionally pausing for a quick kiss. I smiled and thought about some of the other very strange sights I've witnessed during our 5 1/2 months in Lyon. Here are just a few:

• A guy in a tutu and makeup running along the river, getting photographed by his friends who were laughing hysterically. Obviously a lost bet of some sort.
• Three guys dressed in "onesies" during the Fête des lumières.
• A New-Orleans style jazz band, slowly making their way down our street (they were great!)
• A van with a large menorah on top of it, blaring Hanukkah music through loudspeakers.
• A man nonchalantly carrying a suit of armor down our street. Some things just make you go, "huh?"
• A van on fire in the middle of the road (the firemen came quickly to put it out).
• Speaking of fire, the last time Greg and I went out for a date we saw a fire-breather, apparently just practicing, in the middle of the sidewalk. We crossed the road.

Another time, I heard a really strange rumbling/scraping noise out on the street below our apartment and just had to see what was going on. I looked out the window and saw at least 100 people roller-blading. It was 10 p.m. 

Back to "grèves" -- we've seen several demonstrations during our time here. Some were for serious political and social reasons, such as the gay marriage law, but others were a bit more interesting. A new equestrian tax brought out several horse owners, with their horses -- and the subsequent horse poop -- into the large city square. Greg witnessed a tiny anti-foie-gras grève with three or four people dressed as waiters. And we recently heard about a grève in Marseilles where the bus drivers went on strike because their new uniform pants were too tight.

Yep, living in a city has opened our eyes to new experiences. I can't wait for the next strange sight!