In one of our many tour books, we discovered that Ribeauville, France has a festival the first week end in September. The only real information it gave us was that the town had a fountain that spouted free wine. That was all we needed to know to make us go! So we headed out that Sunday morning. We stopped off just outside the border of France and ate lunch ate, you guessed it, McDonald’s. Just as we were getting out of the car we bumped into another American family. We started a conversation with them and discovered they were there for vacation and heading south with no particular plans on where to go. well, they bumped into the wrong (or right, depending on how you look at it) people. Ken and I took over their map and planned their route for them. We told them our favorite towns in the area and what roads are best to travel on. half an hour later we exchanged addresses and parted ways. The mother works at Disney in Florida and for our help has offered to get us in for free when we return home. Hhhmmmm… we may be planning a trip when we get home.
We arrived at the very picturesque town shortly after 2. This town is situated along France’s Wine route so there are fields of grape vines as far as you can see. There were many booths set up selling anything from hand bags to music. And no European festival is complete without carnival rides for the kids. We were a bit surprised to find out that you had to pay admission to get in and even more surprised to find that there was a parade that started at 3. We had arrived in the nick off time and did not even know it. Walking along the streets were several marching bands, pipers, and flag tossers. We settled ourselves in a side road and sat waiting for something to happen (because we had no idea what it was going to be).
The girls wait for the start of the parade.
The crowds up and down the streets. Every window had families hanging out to see.
Soon the excitement started. The first to arrive along the parade was a king and queen dressed in medieval costumes. This was right up the kids alley and I thought we would be so happy we had come. Several very large floats came through the narrow streets and I wondered how they were possibly going to make it through. The floats depicted life in those times. There were monks making wine, nurses tending to the sick, women making bread, and butchers cutting meat. there were flame throwers and flag tossers doing amazing things. Many of these parade workers walked along carrying glasses of wine. They would stop and even ask for wine from the by standers who actually pulled out bottles and filled their cups! Little by little, things became weird. I think the alcohol was kicking in.
The women making bread.
Soon came floats that made us drop our jaws. These floats portrayed the sexual aspects of the era. There brothels, couples rolling in the hay (is this where we got the term?), and innocent spectators pulled in from the crowd to be groped. There was a fair amount of skin to be seen also. Ken says this was the coolest parade he has ever been to in his life.
One of the “fun” floats going by.
There was no attempt to sugar coat life in these ages. People were dirty, hungry looking, bloody, and the black plague had it’s own float. There were battles, sword play, jousting, and limbs torn from people’s bodies. (To be fair, these folks followed the religious shrine to be healed.) There were plenty of drunk and perverse clergymen and even the selling of indulgences. To truly appreciate it all, you just have to see it.
In the end we did find the fountain of free wine and had a sample. It seemed like such an after thought. We went expecting the fountain to be the center of it all but it turned out to be the smallest part of the show. The town was beautiful and I am glad the wine gave us an excuse to go see it.
A picture of the town overlooked by the castle on the hill.
I have to give the French people their due. They take the realism in their parades VERY seriously. Right down to no BVD’S under the costumes!!!
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