I guess I could have saved these photos for a 'Taciturn Tuesday', but I felt like posting them today and nattering on endlessly about them. We had such a great time yesterday, I want to share it!

Saturday morning, the kids dressed up in their garb (it's always 'garb', never 'costumes' ) and we headed off for yet another pseudo-historical festival. This one wasn't really a Ren Faire. It was a bunch of French and Swiss SCA-types that decided to plant their tents near a beautiful lake and enjoy the weekend. It was open to the public, so we got gussied up and went to visit.

As you can see, we've had some changes in our garb. I went to the thrift shop last week with the girls and we made some amazing, dirt-cheap finds! We found a perfect skirt and a bodice for Mallory. She already had a great shirt that was a hand-me-down from a neighbor. All she needed was the darling cap that I'd sewn up for Valentine years ago. With those few elements we managed a great, simple medieval look.

The thrift shop is also were I found the shirt Valentine's friend is wearing and Valentine's fancy bodice. The latter was a really lucky find and she adores it.

The people at the camp were very friendly and the kids got lots of compliments on their clothes. Tourists asked them to pose for pictures.

Princess Alexa was especially in demand:

The location of the camp was lovely- right on the shores of Lake Annecy:

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We had a picnic and then went off to yet another fun activity- a visit to the Menthon Saint Bernard Castle. It was on the opposite side of the lake from Saint Jorioz, but the drive was lovely and only took about half and hour.

The castle is still owned by the Counts of Menthon. The family lives in two of the towers. the third (the Lake Tower) is open to the public. It completely furnished and is amazing. Sadly, they don't allow photos inside. I would have loved to show you pics of the 13th century kitchen and the library full of 12,000 ancient books.

The guided tour was fun. It consisted of costumed actors playing the parts of the family and servants, each character explaining some aspect of castle life and the history of each room. (My kids had nicer 'garb' than the actors, though!)

This is the small interior courtyard:

Again, the kids featured in the photos of many tourists. It's true that they blended right in with the decor of the place. Most people asked politely, though some just snapped away without saying a word.