Birthday Renaissance

Going to the Renaissance Festival is something we do every summer. We invited Marina's best friend to join us. And to top it off, today was her birthday!

The girls both dressed up for the festival. Marina wore her Anastasia dress. We left the house early but unfortunately we ran into a huge traffic jam. We ended up arriving in Larkspur an hour after the festival began.

We went immediately to the jousting field to catch the first joust. We saw Sir William was not jousting again this year. So we cheered for Sir Duncan. After the joust was over we approached Sir William on his horse and talked with him for a few minutes.

Once we left the jousting area, we browsed the shops. The girls were both most interested in the jewelry stores. Along the way, we met up with many well dressed people who we stopped to take photos with. Marina was particularly excited to see a young man dressed as Link. Marina's friend wanted to take an elephant ride. So we made our way to that part of the festival. The line wasn’t too long and they got to take their ride.

We went to the Pavilion to see some actors we know. Marina was pleased that Princess Erin was there as well. As we were getting ready to go to lunch, a loud clap of thunder shocked us. It was followed by heavy rain. We took shelter in the Pavilion for nearly an hour until it passed. When the weather cleared we picked up turkey legs for lunch and settled on the jousting field to eat them and watch the afternoon joust.

After the joust, we met Opal, the new fairy. Then we went to see the Vodca Family, a belly dancing act.We found seats close to the stage and before the show started, we saw a dancer we know. She spoke with us briefly before and after the show. The show was funny and the dancing was quite impressive.
 
As soon as the show was done, we went straight to the chapel for the knighting ceremony. We had missed the first part, but Queen Anne was still there. She greeted Marina with a warm hug before she and the King knighted the girls. The royal court even sang a short birthday song for her friend.

Next on the agenda was the Princess Tea party. On the way, we managed to find the unicorn and take photos. We went to the jousting field for the Princess Party. We were thrilled that Queen Anne was able to join us. Marina was introduced as their special friend. The skit the cast performed this year was particularly funny.

After the tea party, it was time for the final joust. We picked up snacks at Friar Tuck’s Bakery before we found our seats. The joust was fun and our Knight, Sir Duncan, won. As we headed out, the girls wanted to go on the pirate ship ride. From there we went to the main gate. There, we got a chance to talk with Sir William for a while. The other jousters joined him, so we took photos with them as well.
As we left the festival, a huge rainbow appeared in the sky. It seemed to be our guide back to reality.