Where in the World is Marta Senn-Diego? Op. 19: A Picture-Go-Round

I love carousels. Always have. Always will. Some of my best memories involved riding them. I remember the carousel at Cedar Point. My mom and I rode that thing again and again, getting off the ride and then running back into line to do it all over again.

Carousels started as a training exercise for mounted knights. They'd ride the wooden horses and, with a shortened lance in hand, would aim to spear dummies or rings. One carousel in the Jardin de Luxembourg still lets children practice their lances at little metal rings.

Training little warriors

One of the oldest horses in Paris

Other carousels around Paris are just stunning! The music chirps while horses, giraffes, zebras and ostriches spin and whirl. They're a great metaphor for life, I think.

This carousel was just a five minute walk from Friends in Moulin Rouge

 The carousel at the Eiffel Tower is very unique. The horses aren't just horses. There's something, well, special about them.

Still can't spot it?

For reasons unknown to me, the horses are on wheels!

Because why not?

The tradition of carousels is alive and well in Paris. The old and the new are just as popular as they have been, from the days of knights until now.

And hopefully beyond tomorrow.