Medieval Festival

Well it's been two weeks since I have posted anything here and I have been pretty busy.  I have passed the halfway point for my stay in France.  It is quite bittersweet.  I feel like I just got here, but at the same time I miss everyone at home.  There is still so much I need to see and do and learn.  

The day after my last post, Lisa and I attempted to take the train to Toulouse.  When we arrived at the train station, the ticket agent informed us that there is a greve for Mondays for the rest of the year.  Greve is French for strike.  The ticket agent was kind enough to call the taxi to come back and get us and take us back to Cordes.  Now we have to rethink some travel plans.  We went home and watched episodes from the second season of The Office on my computer.  The Office never fails to lift my spirits.  The rest of the week went by really fast.  We spent most of the time preparing for the Medieval Festival. 

Saturday the 11th was Lisa's Birthday so our boss gave us the day off to celebrate.  We successfully took the train to Toulouse for a movie, lunch and shopping.  We saw "The Hangover" which is called "Very Bad Trip" here.  It is a strange title change because it is very similar to another film "Very Bad Things which was also about a Vegas Bachelor party trip gone wrong.  It was in English with French subtitles.  There was one other person in the theater and she did not laugh once.  It was a little strange since I ended up in the fetal position laughing so hard that I was crying.  It is possible that she spoke neither French nor English.  I had popcorn and a Coke.  You can choose between sweet or salty popcorn and from the size of the containers, it appears sweet is more popular here.  I chose salty.  Everything here is super buttery except the movie theater popcorn.  Coca Cola is made with sugar here instead of high fructose corn syrup.  I think it tastes a little different, but not much.  After the movie we headed to lunch at an Italian place then wandered around for the rest of the day.  We both worked Sunday and Monday and then I had Tuesday off.  

The Medieval Festival Took place on July 13th and 14th.  The 14th is Bastille Day, like our 4th of July.  Cordes was transformed into a festival ground.  There was an admission cost for the city.  Adults had to pay 8 euros to enter the upper part of the town, where I live.  My name was on a list so I could travel freely.  Those who chose to dress in medieval attire were admitted free of charge.  There were banners hanging over the streets for days before the event.  They are still up now.  The weather was absolutely beautiful both days.  It was a little hot to be dressed in medieval garb but those of us in modern clothes were pretty comfortable.  There was entertainment throughout town.  There was a stage set up for theatrical performances as well as random street performances.  There were musical groups that walked through the streets playing and dancing.  I didn't get to see much on Monday during the day, but I got to see the parade Monday evening.  The parade was very interesting.  It was led by two men on horseback in complete medieval costume including chain mail and metal helmets.  Then there was a group of men with spears followed by music groups and people in costume holding candles.  The highlight, for me, was the group of fire wielders.  They had many different tools for spinning fire around there bodies.  There were also fire breathers.  The parade lasted about 25 minutes.  I was off the next day so I wandered around to take in all that the festival had to offer.  The pavilion had venders selling medieval souvenirs and a bar.  There were two blacksmiths shaping metal on the street.  There were also impromptu duels by people in costume.  At one point a boy about 1o years old came at me with a spiked club and said something that I didn't understand.  I just smiled and told him I didn't speak French.  The courtyard across from the Museum was full of tents with medieval games for children.  It was a very surreal experience.  There was a parade again at 3:30pm on Tuesday.  It was basically the same, it just headed the opposite direction.  There were costumed stilt walkers and less fire.  The festival went on for the rest of the evening. 

The rest of the week has gone by very fast.  We had a wedding cake and two croquembouches to make for this weekend along with appetizers.  I made bechamel for the first time for gougeres which are like cream puffs but with a cheese filling.  I also made olive cakes and tuna sandwiches on brioche.  It was quite a change of pace.  I have tomorrow off and will probably try to do some more Rosetta Stone and wander around a little.  Kelly and Michelle will be in Toulouse next Sunday.  I am meeting them there and we are driving to Barcelona in a rental car.  I can not wait.  The attached photos are from the Medieval Festival.