Time traveling to the Medieval Ages

Since 1996 three small hamlets have been staging an annual Les Grandes Medievales d'Andilly near Geneva. What started out as an experiment for the villagers to work together has turned into one of the biggest festivals in France. The fête operates with over 1,000 volunteers.  

I'm impressed by how well-organized it is—and the festival's environmental friendliness. Instead of disposable plastic cups, it costs 1€ for a commemorative plastic cup which is necessary to get drinks everywhere in the medieval village. In place of plastic utensils, only one set of wooden fork/knife/napkin is given with every purchased meal. Extra napkins are available but you have to ask for them..so there's no greedy grabbing. Even the toilets are green—instead of disgusting portable potties, the village has built "dry toilets" which have no running water. To my surprise, they don't smell bad at all because they use hay/straw as natural deodorizers. Then they use what's in the toilets for compost!?!

After parking our car on a sloping grassy meadow R and I walked up and through another meadow. We're now in the forest and everywhere we look are village people dressed up in medieval costumes. I see a knight, and a monk. Then a blacksmith and a farmer. Ladies in waiting. Children dressed up as townspeople. I feel like I've walked into 13th century France—and life is good here. All the buildings (except one) are wooden structures with thatch/hay roofs. Nary so much as a piece of plastic anywhere. Tables, benches, everything is mostly wood.

Food is simple and good—sausage with rustic bread and a large potato. Followed by crêpe chocolat, then strawberry and chocolate/vanilla glace, ice cream. In the evening, we settled down to a dinner of pork shoulder with lentils and bread. As evening settled in, we warmed ourselves up with hot tea and cider while watching the minstrel show.

Andilly was super fun—the costumes and scenery were authentic. The roaming musical groups got me dancing. At the falcon show, I saw an eagle and falcons about five feet away and they flew right past me, flapping their giant wings overhead. At the farm, I drank fresh raw milk and petted lambs, calves, and cows. I cooed at chickens living among the bunnies. At the parade and the grand finale, I clapped my hands and cheered for the good knights and booed the evil ones.