This week is always fun in Graz... La Strada!

The link is oh-ful. The only one I could find in English, and one sentence: An international puppet and street theatre festival. Well, hell's bells, Preciousses....

All the links there go to German language sites, so what is so 'international' about THAT, huh? Ok, ok, am NOT going to get started here...

As in: 'are English speakers too DUMB, for this, or WHAT?'

Don't mind me, it is the Dog Days here.

That is why 'La Strada' is so refreshing. For the past five or six years, the city hosts this festival, and it is amazing. They invite the best of the best to perform throughout the city, and a few stellar ones to perform in concert halls and the Opera.

It was a stellar idea. Tourists without an inkling will go downtown, or wherever, and get confronted with post-modern theater, and the weirdest things. And it is so unexpected for them, and so delightful, well, stroke of advertising genius for the city, hey.

And if you are STUCK here during the doldrums.... it is a blessed relief to go to one of those squares or parks, and be entertained by high-quality people, and forget the dog days for an hour or so.

Have seen hilarious two-people performances who could charm you to death with magic tricks and the least of requisites. And spectacles that take your breath away. The most amazing of the latter were gargoyles who escape the facade of Notre Dame, get chased, and whisked up on this contraption that looked like the parachute rides in amusement parks, almost five stories above the ground. And then changed costumes on trapezes, and then did the most amazing act I have ever seen, which left the crowd spitless. And then their contraption started opening like a flower, and it was... just stunning. A heart-stopper. And I have the vhs to prove it.

So THAT is La Strada. Till this year, I only got to see one or two performances. This year will be different. They had a brass and percussion thing yesterday, just outside Peter's window, across the way in the park. But I couldn't get him out of the house. It sounded like cacophony, but the people went wild, clapping and whistling, and yelling, so they must have been doing 'something.'

This evening is a group from Spain. People with suitcases, strangers in a new place. Shall see what they do. Out on my square at five p.m. Oh, I hope it is good.... At nine, will be on the Main Square. Sounds kind of crazy from the description in the broschure.... People whose machines won't run any more, and they do crazy things to get them to go again, and then find a 'solution'. It is supposed to be slapstick. But thought-provoking. We shall see. I wanna take pictures again, and will report.

Today was the first day I was able to take Peter downtown, used the wheelchair as cane. My foot did not thank me for it. BUT.... At least I know I can do it now. So I can rest a bit and do it again, you know?

I know, I know... all this is trivial. And there are many things that anger me so much, they would shut down my blog if I REALLY said what I think about a lot of things.

So just forgive me for looking forward to a bit of respite in this terrible year, if I can enjoy myself for an hour or so. Because, whatever it will be, what I will see will hardly be trivial, and that is what I like about La Strada. Most of what I have seen is socio-critical, but can still delight you...

Sounds like a contradiction in terms, but isn't really. It's art.

Or better said, what I think art is. I hope to get some nice photos to show you all.