Saluzzo and Entrevaux

The weekend of August 1st and 2nd were busy here. We rented the car for the weekend and did a bit of driving.

On Saturday the 1st, we drove to Saluzzo, Italy, about 3.5 hours by car. And on the way there, we ran into the Tour de France.
Allez! Allez!

What is special about Saluzzo? Well nothing really, just picked it out of the guidebook and it was close enough to Antibes, and it is in Italy. It is an old town with a castle (that was closed) and a tower built in 1462 that you can go up (that was open). We had a nice lunch, walked around, had a coffee, some gelatto, and bought some biscotti. The drive out there was nice, reminded us a lot of the Sacramento Valley area (no wonder a bunch of Italians settled out there in the day). A good day trip overall.

I just like that Art Nouveau stuff.
It wouldn't have been a trip if we didn't go to at least one church.
The columns in the tower.
View of the castle from the tower.
View from the tower.
A building.

On Sunday the 2nd, we drove to Entrevaux, France which is about 1.5 hours by car. It is a medieval town by the river, pretty scenic. Anyway the town puts on fetes Medievales and it was a good time.

There was free parking in a field a couple of kilometers down the road (with a scenic view of the valley), and several shuttles ran people back and forth. There were wandering musicians and people in costume, and the assorted Arts and Crafts stalls with some pretty neat stuff. The guy who made the ceramic kitchen sinks with drainboards deserves special mention.
Now, where did I park the car? Sacre Bleu!






On the banks by the river is a park and there were a lot of demonstrations set up there, with activities for the little ones also. There were 4 forges set up making candleholders, coathooks and the like. There was a display showing how things were lifted up to build the castle, using what is basically a hamster wheel and small, active children (we saw this utilized in England for firing a trebuchet, except they don't use small children because they have a more stringent Health & Safety code).

There was also an obstacle course for the kids. They gave them armor and swords and had them joust from horseback. Paramedics were standing by, or having coffee or smoking, but they were somewhere in the area.
Aaaahhh! Mama! Mama!
Stand still, quit running!
First, they lull them to sleep with music...
And then they put them to work on the wheel.
Where are the children? We need more children!!
Guy walks into a bar with a chicken on his head...
Oui, but of course we meet chicks doing this, why else would we?

There was a falconry demonstration, using small children as bait, that we did not stay for. But the highlight (at least for me) was the battle. About 20 guys a side, dressed up in medieval gear, beating the tar out of each other with swords. Yes, beating, not cutting or slashing. Kind of like baseball bats. Jolly good fun, what? And then at the end they pitched small children on a fire, like the old days.

Overall, a good weekend. Well, maybe not for the small children who were hacked, smashed, roasted, etc.