The festival had a huge castle museum of torture devices. We did NOT tour through it because my girls would have freaked out - and I probably would have freaked out (or passed out!) with them. Stuff like that makes us nauseous. It was bad enough having to explain the skeleton (below) hanging in the cage off the side of the castle. This was just a very dark period in time.
I told the girls we just might try our hand at making our own leather pouches...
Aren't they cute!
We stopped and watched this guy several times....
This guy was messing with Emily, not letting her through!
Pirate Show...
A glass-smith (?) - Look closely; his torch is a dragon!
I had to include this one
with her flower strategically placed!
While the kids went through a maze, I bought them a funnel cake. Oh, let's face it, I wanted it too! Believe it or not, Katie was the one who led the way out!
Yep, they had a church...
And bells...
Don't you just love the colors of the buildings?
A very friendly soap maker...
The quilts in this shop were so beautiful. I would love to make one like that some day...
Jousting drew the largest crowd. It was neat but if I had to complain about any part of the festival, it would be that we could hardly hear or see what was going on. If there was some way they could provide crowd control during the jousting (to keep people from talking so much), we would have enjoyed it more.
Don't you just love his shoes?!!
Speaking of shoes, we learned today that it takes anywhere from a few hours to several days to make a pair of Renaissance period shoes. A man was there making and selling them. I would have loved to have a pair but didn't have a couple hundred dollars to spare!
The weather was gorgeous. It rained all day yesterday but was pleasant and sunny today and just the right temperature.
We met a really nice lady who makes pottery, along with her husband and she showed us some of their work behind the curtain, which made us feel extra special. We bought a few pieces from her at an incredible price.
I also gave in and bought the girls each a feather fan, which is exactly what you would imagine... a fan made from feathers. Katie's is black & pink and Emily's is black & white. I'm usually not a big spender at places like this, but these were unusual items that were reasonably priced. The girls were very appreciative because they know I don't usually buy them things like that.
The festival was a neat experience and I would definitely go back again.
Your blog looks great! I like the fall theme and colors
ReplyDeleteI've wanted to go to a Renaissance Festival for a long time, and your pictures and descriptions make me really want to find one now! I'm glad you guys had a good time.