La Fête des Lumières started December 7. We started the day by taking the subway and tram down to the Musée des Confluences, where the Rhône River meets the Saône. There were numerous student groups in attendance. Julian took pictures of lycéens (high school students) with their teachers on the Only Lyon sign at the museum. He also took shots of the architecture. The glass and metal structure of the museum is reminiscent of the Seattle Public Library, but the architects were not the same.
We went to three temporary exhibits at the museum: the Lumière Brothers; the history and current uses of poisons; and the Tuareg people of north Africa. The Lumière brothers invented the public movie projector in Lyon, and many of the installations at La Fête pay homage to this heritage. Most of the items on display were from the Lumière Museum, which we visited last year; however, the exhibit was much more interactive. The poison exhibit included the usual suspects: the Borgias, chemical warfare, poison darts, and the like. It also went into some of the science of poisons, including the discovery of anaphylactic shock (extreme allergic reactions that can be deadly) and finding beneficial drugs in snake venom. The Tuaregs have a history of poetry, geometric jewelry, and reserve in dealing with other people. The men are actually veiled to prevent displaying their emotions. (The veils also keep sand out of their teeth.)
After a quick dinner in the neighborhood of the hotel, we set off to see the lights. Our first stop was at the Place des Jacobins, where the statue had been enveloped in a plastic bubble to imitate an old clock. At precisely 8 pm, the “clock” came alive with lights and music. We then went down to Place Bellecour, which was awash with illuminated flowers, cattails, and butterflies. A ferris wheel kept churning, and provided a light show of its own. Some of the illuminations were little more than lights synchronized to beat boxes; others were much more imaginative. The Théâtre des Célestins had a colorful display on its façade, but no music when we were there. By far the most ambitious display involved the Basilica of Notre Dame de Fourvière, the Cathedral of St. Jean, and the Palace of Justice. Every ten minutes or so, lights would pulse in synchrony from these structures and the hill below the Basilica to music with a distinctly Middle Eastern flavor. The last display we saw was set in a fountain on the Rue de la République. Two puppeteers manipulated smaller versions of Macy’s Thanksgiving Parade balloons resembling birds. I thought the birds looked like starlings; Julian said they looked like giant slugs with wings. The rain had held out for most of the evening, but started in earnest at the end of this last stop, so we decided to hike back to the hotel.
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