Grand Parc Puy du Fou - September 9th 2018

This was the day we all had been looking forward to - our visit to Puy du Fou. Treize Vents was less than 10 minutes away so it was easy for us to arrive at the planned time - 9am. It involved a 2 1/2 hour journey for Danielle, Emmanuells, Jade and William. Once in the park we had to get our translator and ear phones so as to follow the stories of each show. Emmanuelle has been to Puy du Fou so many times that she was able to lead us quickly from show venue to show venue. We managed to see 7 of the 8 main shows as well as the mysterious voyage of La Perouse. Of course there is so much more to the park but it would have required several days to see everything.

Our first show was Le Bal des Oiseaux Fantomes - the Ghostbirds Ball. Alienor awakes in the ruins of the old chateau and her memories make the falcons, owls and vultures emerge. I have never seen such a variety of birds of prey and they skimmed past our heads with their enormous wings. It was so fast that Jim had difficulty getting photos.

This was the venue for the bird spectacle.

The hats were essential because, even in the morning, it was so hot!

Birds were released from the hot air balloon. Seemingly this does not always happen as it is weather dependent.

What a big body on long spindly legs! It was an absolutely marvellous show!

Ther next show we went to was Le Secret de la Lance. This is a medieval story of Marguerite who has to discover the secret of the lance in order to protect the enchanted ramparts of the chateau in the midst of a battle. Prior to the show there was a filler of entertainment which was very silly but very funny.

While the delivery man was sleeping in a corner it looked like the rabbit was driving the horse and cart and they took off leaving the scene. The delivery man couldn't understand where the horse and cart had gone and engaged in a panto-like exchange with the audience.

The ramparts of the castle.

This show was spectacular with lots of horse-riding stunts.

Oh, oh - the enemy has infiltrated...

During the battle there was lots of smoke and flames and destruction.

Following the Secret of the Lance we made our way to the next show passing Le Grand Carillon. We did not see that show but seemingly it is an unusual musical spectacle where the ringers twirl around and strike the 70 giant bells in time to famous tunes.

Piggies.

The next show, Le Mousquetaire de Richelieu, took place in the monumental 17th century theatre and was simply magnificent.

Following the slap-stick comedic interlude we witnessed an exciting adventure full of sword fights, flamenco dancing and capering horses. They even had water on the stage. The horses were fantastic - I think this was my favourite show

 We then headed for the show named Le Dernier Panache but unfortunately we were too late to get in as there was already a crowd there and this show had more limited capacity than the others. We took some time to eat the packed lunch that Danielle had brought for us and then off to Le Signe du Triomphe which was a spectacle about the Roman Games. To save their lives the prisoners from Gaul have to win the games in front of the Roman Emperor.

We were seated just behind this curved barrier. Emmanuelle said we were in the best spot for a particular part of the show.

The geese are a reminder of the geese that, by their honking, saved Rome from an assault by the Gauls. The Colosseum of Rome was also used to parade exotic animals. The Games would usually open with a parade of these animals and this was replicated here.

Ostrich races were common in the games.

These are the prisoners.

At around this stage there was an attempt to raise this rounded electronic barrier, in order, it seems, to release the wild animals. However, we were deprived of this spectacle by the malfunctioning of the barrier. It was a shame but the show without it was really good.

The next show was The Vikings. The scene is the peaceful Fort de l'An Mil with its thatched roofs. Ferocious Viking warriors emerge from their longships and launch an attack on this peaceful people who are celebrating a marriage. The battle takes place amid a deluge of special effects.

Off we went again to another show - The Knights of the Round Table. Merlin puts Arthur's bravery to the test. Having beaten the curse of Excaliber, Arthur discovers the wonders of the enchanted lake.

The last show of the day took place in the evening at 8.30pm when darkness had fallen. It was called Les Orgues du feu - the Fire Organs. It was beautiful, a fantastic symphony of fire and water to the music of well known romantic compositions. Unfortunately it did not respond very well to being photographed. At the very end there was a spectacular display of fire and water and I got soaked!




Between 2 of the shows - I can't remember which, we visited the recreation of one of the late 18th century ships of the explorer La Perouse. For me it was not the most enjoyable experience of the day as the ship was very crowded and the movement through was a slow shuffle - very painful on my back and legs. There was the constant sensation of being on board a ship in stormy waters. Underfoot it seemed slippy from the constant flow of water. We got quite wet!

We got home at 10.30 exhausted after a very full day but very satisfied. Another thing off the bucket list!