La Fete du Renaissance

Yesterday, I went to my first Renaissance Fair.  What was interesting about this was the fact that there was very little organized (quelle surprise).  The majority of fair-goers were dressed in elaborate costumes, and there were musicians and street puppet shows and things of that nature, but it was all independently done.  Yes, these people had their own horses, medieval instruments, and costumes.  Normally in the United States, the people who attend Renaissance Fairs in costume are considered nerds (i.e. those in my family), but here it is entirely normal. 
Naturally, as we were in an older town in France, we had to go see the cathedral and the statues and such.  Katie, Ian, Filip, Bianca, Vlatka, Laura, Chelsey, Meagan and I started out together, but after a while we lost Laura and Chelsey who had gone to see the statue of Notra Dame de France.  Meagan and I went up to find them, and when I say up, I truly mean up.

Here is the view from the top.

It was so beautiful.  I honestly cannot get enough of the country here.  And evidently, these hills are nothing compared to where I'm going this weekend in the Alps.  I realize that it seems like a given that hills are nothing compared to mountains (much like men, to paraphrase Pride and Prejudice), but compared to the mid-west, this is breathtaking.
We eventually made our way down to find the others for dinner.  Again, everyone in town was dressed for the occasion, including those who work in the restaurants.  After a dinner of chicken and pasta, we went to a crepe vendor for dessert.  I must say, French crepe vendors are artists.  There is a beautiful and delicate art to making a crepe, that only the French can do.  So beautiful, so delicious.
There was a marchee for souvenirs, costumes, and such, but most of the group didn't want to hang out there (it was getting quite cold).  So, we ended up at an Irish pub.  I'm sorry, but why would you go to an Irish pub, in France, and listen to American music when you could be at a Renaissance Fair?  Those of us who thought that, meaning Chelsey, Meagan, Bianca, Vlatka, and myself, decided to return.  We got some coffee and hot chocolate at a stand and then returned to the marchee.  I was able to find some really cool things, for not very much, and it was just so fun to see all of the booths.  There was one area where there was a fire where they had obviously cooked some sort of meat earlier.  See if you can tell what it was.

Overall, it was a marvelous day.  See my facebook for more pictures.