A nice Saturday !

Yesterday was a nice day. I went to this little town called Angouleme, about an hour by train from Bordeaux. It was their 4 days of hyper activity, their yearly festival of comic strips. Now, i am not very big into comics. I read Calvin n Hobbs, Archies as a kid, have read Tintin and Asterix, but i wouldn't call myself a great follower of comics.
But comics in France are an integral part of their culture and lives. To many, almost as sacred as their cheese and wine. So, everyone told me, oh this festival is a must see since you are around at this time. So i decided, fine, lets go and see what is the big deal people make out of it. Well, i saw a sight like i have never seen before. So many people out on the roads. The minute i walked out of the station, it was easy to realize, there was something big happening in this usually small town. There were signs and comics painted everywhere i saw. There were hoardings and fliers all around. From free buses all around the city to their signs and directions, we could see that the organizers really deserved a bow down.
We ( two friends and me ) hopped onto the already over crowded bus and off we went on this adventure or culture discovery or whatever it was we were there to do. A little lost at first, we just sat quiet in the bus. Watched people hop on and off at places, but didn't know if this was where we were to hop off too, or go on ahead and see the start. Finally, at one point, many people got off, so we just acted like we knew what we were doing and hopped off too. We saw a line and ticket counters, so got in there, bought out tickets which were paper bracelets to be worn all the time we were there. In we went with the rest of the crowd to see artists sitting and talking to people about their comics, their lives or simply just signing autographs for the crowds. People were out there in hundred's maybe even thousand's from all around the neighboring towns. All excited, full of energy and understanding what was going on around.
We were all 3 of us lost, so we just walked around, with our mouths wide open in wonder and amazement with what we saw all around. We walked and we walked, from one stall to the next. We saw people making comics just sitting right there. Painting and filling in the bubbles with words and noises, it was like entering a world of cartoons and un-reality. There were competitions that were happening and some that had already happened. We saw comics drawn and created by kids form ages 8 to 10 ! It was a wonderful experience to see this new culture, which is so unheard of back in my country.
Finally after a day of walking and taking in all we could, we got back onto the train and came home feeling more lost about comics, but good all the same to have experienced this cultural difference.