Gex, France (Part2)

 

It's always great seeing mom and pop circuses still traversing the countryside. In the corral to the right of the bigtop I spot a menagerie of wild beasts including several llamas. 

So, this is why I came to Gex: to check out the Museum of Fire Fighters. Who doesn't like seeing fire trucks?

A variety of fire fighting vehicles on display.

A bunch of these water pumping vehicles date back to the early 1800s!

More fire trucks.

Sampling of uniforms fire fighters wore while fighting fires and when not fighting fires.

Collection of fire helmets from all over Europe.

Collection of fire extinguishers.

Trying to get hook & ladder truck in one shot.

Passing through the spa town of Divonne-les-Bains (population 10,000) I snapped this shot of the clouds building up over the Jura Mountains. In French, bains means bath. 

 I've probably visited thousands of churches in Europe. I've also visited thousands of cemeteries. I just find it fascinating checking out the tombstones. This cemetery is in Divonne-les-Bains near the church. Many of the tombstones you see here date back to the 1800's. In this photo you see two big mausoleums way in the back. The big building to the right in the back is a maintenance building. 

One normally would think these big mausoleums means the person was very rich or very important. This isn't necessarily true. Many people lived a modest or frugal life and when they passed away their money was directed to erect an impressive burial memorial.

This is the mausoleum to the left in the previous photo. I peer inside and see nothing but a crumbling statue of Jesus. No room for a body. This might be a cenotaph, a memorial---an empty tomb with the remains buried elsewhere.