Les Médiévales de Provins 2022

[kerouac2]

Les Médiévales de Provins retains its title as the biggest medieval festival in France, and I definitely wanted to see it again after 2 years of cancellation for covid.  I actually almost missed it because I was speculating about possible trips in July but I also thought "I want to see that thing in Provins.  When is it?"  Well, it is this weekend, whew!  I bought my ticket online (cheaper!) and took the train to go there this morning.  If you go in costume, it is even half price, but no, not for me.  Actually, I could still make a killing if I wanted to, because you can buy a ticket for just one day or two days (no, the price is not double).  I bought my ticket and printed it.  And when I showed it at the entrance, they just let me in.  The ticket says "25th OR 26th" so I could use it again and nobody would be the wiser.  Or resell it or give it away if I knew anybody who wanted it.  Unlikely, because even though Provins is in the Paris commuter zone and the standard passes are valid to go there, it is still 1h22 to get there, which might be the very longest ride in the commuter zone.  And there is only one train an hour.

I ended up taking the train before 10:00 and arrived a little after 11:00.  Normally, I am the sort of person who would have arrived earlier, but I think I am getting on in years.  It certainly seemed that way climbing the mountain to the upper medieval city which seemed to me twice as high as last time.  Not only was I totally out of breath, but I stumbled on the stone steps and skinned my knee.  I was happy that I had chosen to wear jeans instead of shorts because it is not a pretty sight.

And finally I reached the gates.  Although the train from Paris was completely full, all of the passengers seemed to be about 45 years younger than me, so they had rushed ahead.  That was fine with me.  I started entering the crowd soon enough.

Many of the buildings of the medieval section are lovely.

There were already things for sale.

Last time I had noticed that the trash bins had been wrapped in burlap to hide their 21st century status.  This time they added the traffic signs.

And of course the Tour de César loomed over the site.

[kerouac2]

I bet it is getting hard to find animal furs and hides in many countries.











There was a squad of Italian flag wavers already performing. We'll see more of them later.

[lugg]

I already know from what you have already posted that this is going to be really fun, very colourful and interesting. Hope your knee is recovering.

[kerouac2]

I was amused by a homemade medieval shield mixed with a 21st century footballer haircut.















Some farm courtyards had been converted into food courts. This was new.

[htmb]

Bravo! Super pictures so far. Looking forward to seeing more.

[bjd]

Some of these people will probably go on to the Goth festival in Leipzig, where there were some participants dressed like that.

I admire your willingness to do these visits, Kerouac. I can't imagine going somewhere with such crowds shuffling through narrow streets.

[kerouac2]

A few of the streets have been spared from stands and crowds. I wonder if the homeowners get to vote on this.





Time to launch a new brand of beer apparently.



You can probably put absolutely anything in these bottles since people buy them just for the label.

[kerouac2]

While up on the ramparts, I saw there was some sort of little spectacle that seemed to concern a sausage king.











Even outside the ramparts there was a lot of stuff. I think that this year's festival is at least twice as big as what I saw last time.









a cauldron of beeswax for making candles



I had to look up the unfamiliar word paternôtrier which I'm sure you noticed is misspelled pâtenotrier on the sign. (a maker of rosary beads)





The executioner is in!



He was explaining all of the ways of executing people and who was eligible for what.

[kerouac2]

It wouldn't seem right not to see some barnyard animals in a medieval setting.







Some barnyards are clearly more sophisticated than others.



There were all sorts of activities for the public to test their (lack of) skills.





There were also lots of calmer nooks and crannies to have a meal. This is something that I didn't see the last time.

[kerouac2]

Making chain mail seems like it must have been one of the most tedious activities for artisans. I hope it was well paid.









There were also medieval arcade games.











Being a blacksmith is always hot and difficult work. I was amused by the child labour, since the boy was complaining about how hard it was.

[fumobici]

Worth it for the giant sausage on the throne alone.

[kerouac2]

Motorcycle helmets probably gave this same impression the first time they were worn.



There was even a place to get medieval haircuts.







They probably just killed dogs with a medical problem back then.



This man was minting coins.



















one pot wonder?

[lugg]

That camel looks completely unperturbed. Some really great random portraits K2 .

[mossie]

The camel is thinking "This is a great place, no flies or men with little pointed sticks"

[kerouac2]

I know that some of this is worth buying but who wants to carry it around all day? (the people who also shop at Disneyland, I guess)





another rare calm street





Farmyard becomes food court.







cannélés from Bordeaux







One musn't think that medieval folk didn't also worry about some needy people down south.

[kerouac2]

I could have used a walking stick after a few hours, but not a fancy one.





It was an unlucky day for pigs.

[kerouac2]

A sign said that renovation of the ramparts began in 1980. They've made some progress since my last visit, but there's a lot left to do.















They are recruiting crusaders younger than ever.

[bjd]

Quite a mix: Roman soldiers, walking trees, crusaders...

[kerouac2]

Basic training was beginning for the new crusaders.







Some travellers had come from afar and were in unfamiliar terrain.





This bank manager was probably blackmailed by his wife to participate.  She probably has something bad on him.









The local constabulary were on patrol.







This got me wondering when chocolate arrived in Europe, but I didn't look it up.



I may have spotted an anachronism.

[mich64]

What a fun time. Costumes, exhibits, food, shopping and so much to watch all in a beautiful setting.

[kerouac2]

I do wonder if people really wore that many capes in medieval times.





I sat on a bale of hay for a bit, which was a relief after walking for hours. I did not see whatever spectacle was planned on the stage.

However, just behind me the Italian flag throwers began a show so all I had to do was turn around.

The art of flag throwing dates back to medieval guilds (principally in Italy, Germany, Flanders and Southern Netherlands). A guild's banner or flag was considered a symbol of purity, and as such it was not allowed to touch the ground.

There are two major categories of flag throwing: classical and acrobatical. In classical flag throwing, the flag is turned left and right around the body in a standing posture. In acrobatical flag throwing, the thrower uses both hands to move the flag in a sitting, laying, or kneeling posture.

Okay, maybe too many photos, but they are fascinating.



This is the group that was performing.















I only saw one flag briefly dropped during the performance but I doubt that most people saw it. His companions probably beat him up anyway after the show.



You'll see some of the actual flag throwing in the video if you make it to the end of this report.

[kerouac2]

This guy makes most of his stuff out of the fungus that grows on tree trunks.





more roadkill?



People are always eating from some reason. I had one beer during the day in Provins and nothing else.



I hadn't been to the church yet, so I went in that direction.





It was nice to briefly find a small path just for me.



This church is one of the innumerable places visited by Joan of Arc.

[lugg]

Such a colourful, fun and vibrant report. I really like seeing that so many people seemed to be enjoying their immersion in the experience wearing their costumes. I also like some of the contradictions you have posted - ie the 2020s footwear and the young girl all dressed up in medieval costume looking at her phone.

Those carvings out of tree fungus are lovely. I have never heard of caneles ? sp before but they look good.

[kerouac2]

There was another set of medieval crafts being displayed on the esplanade of the church.



How to construct Gothic arches is always a must, since people always want to know "How on earth did they build those cathedrals?"



The hamster wheel pulley systems for bringing heavy loads to higher levels is another big draw.



I must admit that I heard more than one person comparing these displays unfavourably to Guédelon. Well, not unfavourably, but Guédelon is better.



Wandering minstrels had arrived from far away lands.





A bagpipe lady was briefly in competition, but she was no match for the minstrels.

















In the church was the usual "art fair."





There was also music in the church. The stone walls were pretty good insulation from the minstrels out in front.





And that was the last thing I saw, because I went back down to the lower village after that. Does this style of architecture have a name?



The Voulzie, the little river that runs through Provins doesn't always have car dealerships on top of it.



And then I was back at the train station (on the left). There were signs proclaiming that the line is finally electrified after 150 years.



And here is my inevitable video in total disorder. The End.

[tod2]

My My - What can I say. Just spectacular Kerouac. It made me feel I had never been there and yet I know very well I have. I think the fact we went for the Ramparts Show distracted us from poking around and seeing more. I would have loved to be there. Maybe a future historical event??

[kerouac2]

And I need to see the shows one of these days, but they are always sold out well in advance during the Médiévales.

[lugg]

What a super set of photos to finish this great report. Great video too - the flag throwing really is a spectacle.

[htmb]

I remember how much the elevation changes in Provins. It can be a tough walk to cover it all. You did a great job of wandering the whole town and your photos are super. I’m looking forward to watching the video once I have wifi and/or a better cell signal.

[kerouac2]

This time, I did not take any photos of the lower town, which is also lovely. The only "low" pictures here are on the approach to the train station.