Medrano and Music

The circus came to town!  This time it was the Cirque Medrano instead of the Cirque Amar from two years ago.


The Cirque Medrano is a French circus that was once located on the edge of Montmartre in Paris.  Today it is a circus travelling the world.

Toulouse-Lautrec's oil sketch, Cirque Fernando: The Equestrienne, 1887–88.

I woke up at 3:00 a.m. and made my way to the Centre Levault to watch the circus trucks arrive, unload and set up.  I could hear the grinding of the gears, the shouts from the road crew, the roar of the lions and the trumpet of the elephants.  I saw the Big Top being anchored and slowly becoming erect, with ropes being pulled and bleachers getting lined up.  I could smell the dung of the animals and the sweat of the crew. Then I opened my eyes and realized I was still in bed, just hearing my imagination.

The price of admission has gone up considerably, with a regular ticket going for 28 euros.  It's about three times more expensive than two years ago.

The concession stand smelled sugary, with all the popcorn and cotton candy you could eat!

Tired little ponies waited patiently for small children to buy a circuit around the arena, with proud mamans snapping photos for the family album.

The small ponies gave way to Zorro and his big horses!  They were a little less tranquil and even kicked up their heels a few times.

Press the play button to see the clown twirl

There was something not quite up to standard with this circus, and it's not just because there was a huge emphasis on clowns.  The jugglers fumbled, the acrobats missed a catch, the clowns tripped...  This just didn't seem like an A-game with pros.



And just then, along came the FARM TEAM!

I do believe the goat was the mascot.

The Beautiful Bovines and The Waddling Geese

The tiniest pony with the longest mane made another appearance to many "Ahhs" from the crowd, as the Beautiful Bovines stared in stoned rapture.

Press the play button to watch the yo-yo master

The Chinese delegation was very agile with twirling bowls and yo-yos.

Then came the regal elephants from Asia.  Both these pachyderm ladies are about 46 years old, of unknown parentage since they were captured in the wild.

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Time to perform for the clapping public.  These majestic animals should not be made to act out such menial tasks.  Anybody read "Water for Elephants"?

Ah, the Bengal Tigers!

Press the play button to watch the tiger pad stealthily across the ramp, then salute.

Not a long performance, but one that was very much appreciated.  They're cats, after all, and do not dance to any other drummer than their own.

There were fancy women and great costumes.

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Our Scottish clowns were very funny, and also very acrobatic!

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The circus performance ended on a high note, with these talented acrobats spinning and putting us all into a frenzy!  The applause was deafening.

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Karl had had enough "entertainment" for a day, so he went home to relax while I rushed to catch the concert at St. Médard Church.  The "Orchestre à cordes Nord-Deux-Sèvres", under the direction of François-Xavier Laguette, performed for the first half of the concert.  These Conservatory students are all very talented and sounded very professional.

The second half of the concert was a series of pieces with violin, bassoon, organ and voice.  My favourite was definitely "Oblivion" by A. Piazzolla.

 The sun set on another perfect and satisfying day!