Post by Ella
Walking by the 10th or so carousel I’ve seen since coming to France, I wished I’d been taking pictures. Each is unique. The Carousel of Extinct and Endangered Animals that I posted about in Paris was probably the most unusual.
Way back in sixth century Byzantium (today’s Istanbul), the concept of the carousel was born. A rotating center column with poles spiking outward was the simple infrastructure. On the poles hung baskets that could hold riders swinging out in a circle. In the 12th century, horsemen began using the device for battle training. Much later, these creations morphed into what we know today as merry-go-rounds or carousels.
In Nice, we found a Jules Verne themed carousel.
In Antibes, I was going to look for the Azul Carousel but by the time we were finished with the frickin’ fort 😜…(see Fast Track to Picasso post).
People usually think of carousels as for little kids. Interesting it started out as something knights did.
There were adults riding (without kids). Maybe harkening back to fun childhood memories?