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Déjà Vu – Friday Fictioneers

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It’s Thursday and I am late to the party.  Fashionably?  Truth is, I wasn’t even sure I would play this week but I am totally skipping class, so to speak.  I needed a break from the monotonous task that was leaving me brain-dead at work so I have snuck out for a few moments to get that grey matter working.  Shhh… don’t tell my boss.  Thank you to Rochelle for hosting this party and to Brenda Fox for bringing the party favours.  Should you want to play along, just click on my frog carousel below and add your link to your 100-word story.  K. Back to work. None the wiser…

©Brenda Cox

Mouse Fair: Leap Frog Carousel – Action Artwork Rental

Do you ever feel like you’ve been somewhere before even though you know you haven’t?  It’s like a strange familiarity wraps itself around you.

I am walking in the Charles-de-Gaulle Esplanade in Montpellier when I see a beautiful old carousel.  There’s that feeling of déjà vu I mention. As in “already seen”.  I have yet to set foot in France.

Not déjà vu after all.  In Florence, in the Piazza della Repubblica, they have an almost identical carousel situated in a square just like this one.

Must be a European thing, I can’t imagine this in Phillips Square in Montreal!

162 thoughts on “Déjà Vu – Friday Fictioneers”

  3. Interesting to find such similar things in both places. The deja vu reminded me of a story I heard recently on a podcast–a woman was saying that it’s very common in Norway for people to see people/places before they happen. She said it’s like the opposite of deja vu. I couldn’t understand what she said it was called, so I’ll have to look it up.

    It’s good you didn’t post this anywhere on social media. . .😏

    Liked by 1 person

    • I was so surprised to see one in a square like that. No amusement park, just a carousel in the middle of nowhere. When I saw this prompt, I thought, hey… I know that. Only I didn’t!

      Liked by 1 person

  6. Dear Dale,

    You make me want to visit Europe. Not many carousels in city squares in the Midwest US either although it doesn’t keep me from feeling like I’m going in circles. Wonderful piece. I’m glad you eked out a few moments. I promise not to tell your boss. 😉 😉

    Shalom and lots of encircling hugs,

    Rochelle

    Liked by 1 person

    • Dear Rochelle,

      It makes me want to return! Yeah… other than within an amusement park, they ain’t happening. So glad you enjoyed. He he he.. As if it’s the first piece I write at work… 😏🙄🤭

      Shalom and lotsa circled love,

      Dale

      Liked by 1 person

  7. Fun story, and an interesting point of view. I had no idea these were so exotic for you ‘over there’. 🙂 For me, as European, they aren’t really that remarkable. They are at every fair, big or small, and these baroque style carousels kind are beloved and look rather similar with their rich decorations and wooden horses. Modern ones with helicopters cars and rockets are around, too (I loved the helicopters as a kid). And then there are the similarly beloved, traditional chain carousels where you fly higher the faster it goes, whee… They are marvellous but don’t eat Bratwurst before you enter. Don’t you have fairs like this over there?

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    • Thank you, Gabi. Here, the carousels are found in permanent amusement parks or the occasional one that moves around (as I noted in the next town over). But the mobile (?) ones usually end up in shopping mart parking lots, not lovely squares like these.

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      • I noticed, when I lived in Alberta, that downtown areas were rarely attractive, not really suitable to stroll and window shop. This may have changed. These squares and inner city areas are still common in Europe although I wonder for how long. Small shops have to close because they can’t compete with online shops, and now, in the pandemic, many of those wo barely held on now are gone. What’s left is restaurants and pubs and a few larger stores. Less attractive to go there and spend an afternoon/ evening.

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        • Gabi. Alberta. C’mon 😉 No, all jokes aside… where in Alberta? And the downtown of big cities have become amalgamations of skyscrapers. We have a Ferris wheel in Old Montreal, they could easily have included one, now that I think of it.
          And so many have closed their doors thanks to this pandemic. And, as if that’s not enough, the construction is such a nightmare, no one wants to cross the bridge into the city now.

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  8. Another late-fashionista waiving at you …. And, yeah, those odd goosebump feels of been-here-sometime can sometimes be explained by similarities to other places. And sometimes … well … a mystery they remain … 😉 xoxo N.

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  9. I have very strong memories of writing on carrousel horses. The wind in my hair and wonders just within reach. Every circle around was a new adventure. I was in heaven!

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  13. I like your simple explanation of that strange sensation. I once fell off a carousel horse (I prefer to think it came alive and threw me – yeah I know, that’s a long shot) so I am a bit wary but they do look so beautiful. Glad you chose to make a break from the monotony. PS I have been to Montpellier but that’s another story 🙂

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    • Sometimes simple is best (or all that works). I’m sure it did throw you off – they can be ornery! Some are gorgeous, especially the older ones.
      I’ll wait to hear the story…😊

      Like

  14. Hi Dale, I get the déjà vu most definitely, it happens to me a lot. As for carosels they are beautiful and yes more common on this side of the pond and many very beautiful. As ever you had a beautiful and apt photo to hand. 💜

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  15. Trust you to have a perfectly matching photo for any occasion!!! 😉 True, many on our side… however too many thrillers have used them too leaving an oddly creepy feeling, to me. Especially that ‘music’!!! 🧡🤗🧡

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    • They are a staple of fairs or amusement parkes, aren’t they? I love that the European cities have them randomly insstalled. Glad you enjoyed, Brenda.

      Like

  21. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a carousel in a public square here in the States. We tend to put them under cover and open them only for a few weeks during good weather, especially north of the Mason-Dixon line.

    What we used to call a merry-go-round could be found on any playground. A flat circular platform with pie-shaped pieces and thick metal tubing to hold while one of the ‘big kids’ pushed it up to dizzying speeds. They always made me sick to my stomach.

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  24. “amalgamations of skyscrapers.” I may borrow that phrase soon.
    I find your déjà vu interesting in that it captures the complete composition and ambiance of the prompt photo so closely.
    A photographer friend once taught me how his eye and mind worked differently, which is the essence of the art. Well done, Dale.

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    • Thank you, Ina. As I was searching for where the first one was, I saw that they have them all over Europe. Hmmm. Maybe that should be my project? Go around the world taking their photographs…

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  27. Q

    It’s funny how that works, deja vu. Sometimes the feeling is subtle, almost like you don’t know it’s happening until things start running into you and you go “Yeah! I know this!”. And then there are other times when it’s a locomotive (emphasis on loco) that barrels through your psyche and lets you know that “Yeah! You know this!”.

    Creatively cheeky way of using the two images above. As per 😉

    B

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  30. I love the way you intertwine the ideas of deja vu and cultural differences between nations. And what a great photo you took – I can see exactly why you had deja vu. It’s a growing trend in the UK at Christmastime. We’ve had a carousel in Plymouth during the Christmas rush in earlier years; I think Covid stopped it last year, and I don’t know what’s planned this year.

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    • Thank you, Penny. They are so very similar, aren’t they? I love this trend you have 🙂 I hope this Covid thing will not keep lovely things like this from happening for much longer (though I’m not dilusional).

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  31. It’s not often, but when I get that déjà vu feeling, sometimes, I feel dizzy.
    Yes, the 2 carousels are similar. I can see how you flashed déjà vu.
    Would love a ride on a painted pony! Be happy just to hold a pole and go in circles! ⚡️💥

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    • Oh for sure! It can be dizzying.
      They are 🙂
      What’s stopping you? Are there no amusement parks in your vicinity? Mind you, to pay the big bucks to go to ours for just that one ride would be ridonkulous… I guess it will have to happen on my next trip to Europe 😉

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          • Well, if they didn’t use TAR!!!
            Well made hash is an ancient recipe… no chemicals involved. My fave would be Lebanese Gold (not since the country became war torn..)
            In lieu I accept Moroccan Kief. Now… Canadian Cief.
            The green is good, easy to grow, stronger than any brown used to be and no after harvest processing….etc.
            Funny (haha) dear Thunder, but when it was illegal, I smoked a LOT more.
            Now, meh… once in a while. Okay, once…. mmmm… twice a night!
            I should be a thc critic. xxoo

            Liked by 1 person

          • I was never a connoisseur of blends and types and whatnot. The last time I smoked hash I was sick like a dog and for sure it was spiked with something. Kept me away from it for years. Now? the green is way stronger than it was back in the day. Jeez. My kids have a bazillion bongs and the store is a block away… I preferred the buzz from brown over green – which I get no pleasure from now… I’m such a dullard 🙂

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          • No dullard….Thunder!
            I’m not so much the toker as I used to be.
            1 in the evening with a glass of wine when I draw is about it.
            Hahaha! It might have been more fun when I was young and it was illegal! xo

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  32. Wow, it’s like playing one of those spot the difference puzzles. Only really difference is, the prompt carousel is two storey. I found that a unique feature. Nice to see they are still around. Magical.

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    • True. Wait. I didn’t even notice that! How cool is that? But it really struck me because of its placement in a square just like the on in Florence. So cool and yes, they are magical 🙂

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  35. On our travels through Europe we’ve loved the quaint little squares that form the centre of activitiy for the towns and villages. This is a prime example of one such.

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  36. I agree with you that carousels are joyful, I wish there were more of them about. One time I went to a steam fair in the UK, happening in a field ,full of old fashioned things. The star attraction was an old fashioned carousel — I had two rides on it !

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    • I love that these little villages or towns have them right there in the square. I definitely want to explore to find more 🙂 And how lovely that you did!

      Like

  38. Ha! That was onteresting…an idea for the beginning of a clever novel…those carousels seem to hold one’s childhood, or feature in a few films strongly too, from horror to romance — I remember the broken down carousel on the waterfront in Baku, Azerbaijan where I loved…and children pretending to have fun on it. So powerful, as were efforts to make it really work now and then, really symbolising the country.

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    • Thank you, Ain. A novel, eh? Interesting! Yes, carousels have both been used in romance and horror. I never realised there are so many. Thank you for your share!

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