Travel

[dancerjodi]

We've decided to do a couple of things:
Finally check out the MD Faire the weekend of 10/20 (and while there, see the Medieval Babes play). Most faires you just show up at the gate - will this be a problem if the Babes are playing?
Do stuff in that general area (MD, DC)

I'm not sure where we'll stay and how long we'll go, but we'll have plenty of time to figure that out. Brian's never been to DC and we've been meaning to go. We've also been meaning to check out the MD faire. I've always wanted to see The Medieval Babes. And we can drive. And we can potentially stay with friends. It sounds like a plan!

Brian and I have done very little travel in our lives and we're looking to explore a lot of areas together. Given that there are tons of places we haven't been (that it seems like everyone else has been to) its kind of intimidating when we try to plan for trips given all of the options. :)

Comments

[electricsoup.livejournal.com]

you all are more than welcome to crash here for some/all of your stay, although we're about an hour away from the md faire. showing up at gate will be fine, i don't think i've ever seen them close for capacity. it's such a fantastic faire, you'll love it :)

October

[dancer.livejournal.com]

"you all are more than welcome to crash here for some/all of your stay, although we're about an hour away from the md faire. showing up at gate will be fine, i don't think i've ever seen them close for capacity. it's such a fantastic faire, you'll love it :)"

Thanks for the offer, that's very sweet of you! :) I know we'll want to come visit you guys for sure. Brian and I need to do some research to figure out where we'll stay and when and all of that.

[sajuka.livejournal.com]

So I'm curious, since I've never seen it anywhere except at the Michigan Faire (which I didn't think was THAT big), do they have full contact jousting? I have to say I was spoiled going to the MI Faire for three years and watching that before I saw anything else ;)

Jousting

[dancer.livejournal.com]

Most faires that have jousting have full contact jousting (the last time Brian and I went to the CT Faire there was actually blood and all!) :)

[electricsoup.livejournal.com]

they do - king richards has it too - or at least did! :)

[christmasjedi.livejournal.com]

King Richard's is cheesy jousting! It's scripted, with blunted aluminum weapons. They drop the lances or roll off their horses before contact. I think Sajuka is looking for shattered lances and the like.

[electricsoup.livejournal.com]

the hanlon-lees are actually the best jousting troupe on the circuit - i worked KRF and i know a lot of those guys. they're extremely talented. :)

a lot of times there they made some pretty huge contact as wlel - i don't know if it's changed since i was there last, which was 9 years ago, granted. :)

the md jousting is very similar to the KRF jousting, at any rate :)

[christmasjedi.livejournal.com]

Hmm. I wonder if KRF has changed its jousting troup since you were last there. I seem to remember something about no longer allowing full contact, actually, but I might just be crazy. We've only been out here for 4 years, so the 5 in between is certainly long enough to have changed tactics. J or B would probably know though.

And I never said they weren't talented. It takes great skill to fall off a horse gracefully and not get hurt. I just said it was cheesy. :) And, if you've seen one match, you've seen every one, every day, every year, too. :-p

KRF

[dancer.livejournal.com]

KRF is much different now than it was before - no more Hanlon Lees, no more Smee and Blog, no more washing wenches, no more pictures with tiger cubs. They are much more "safe" now, than a traditional faire. And probably the most expensive faire out there. Its way too small for the prices they charge. It stinks, that they are the biggest shop in town.

Re: Jousting

[sajuka.livejournal.com]

So summarizing the rest of the conversation, it looks like KRF has changed their jousting then... In Michigan they required safety nets in front of the crowd and it's been a while, but in my memory they got the horses up much closer to a full gallop than what I've seen at other faires (and yes, shattered lances and all).

The Michigan website doesn't say who does their jousting, but when I was there they said they were one of the few groups licensed for full contact. Hm... Maybe when the Michigan one starts up I'll call and get more details from them.

Re: Jousting

[sajuka.livejournal.com]

To confuse matters, I just checked and the Hanlon-Lee Action Theater is scheduled for KRF this year at least... So maybe my adolescent memories of greatness are deceiving me... Ugh.

Re: Jousting

[sajuka.livejournal.com]

Sorry for the spam, but this sort of thing bugs me until I resolve it ;) Turns out the MI Ren Fest has a year-round phone number. I called and they said their jousting company is "Brothers in Arms". I found remnants of a website here but all the links are broken... doh... But talking with the lady on the phone she said they are a professional stunt group (as compared one of the other faires in the state that does competitive jousting in the classic sense), but (of course) she claimed they were the "Best of the Best". Unfortunately, I'm not sure I have a way to verify that statement...

[arianasilver.livejournal.com]

I'm a MD Faire Junkie...used to do the Fair Ever Passes when I lived in MD (about an hour away from the Faire). You'll be able to get tickets at the gate regardless of if the Babes are playing or not. There's tons of ticket lines at the gate, but they can get pretty long in the morning. Generally try to get there about 30 minutes before the Faire opens if you want a whole day (and you probably will, since the shows are all great, and the MD Faire is a lot larger than King Richards).

There are a few other shows I'd suggest too (I see the schedule's not up yet for the 2007 season, but these were shows they were running up until a year ago, and they generally still do) :)

*The Rogues (Definitely see them...what can I say, I'm a Roguette! They normally play even if the Babes are at the Faire)
*Fight School and Fight School Reloaded--These shows are really entertaining. They take you through all the "hand-weapons" from the first swords until the late rennaisance. They do a full fight scene in "fight speed" with each pair of weapons, then slow it down so you can see step-by-step how its done.
*The Renaissance Man--Any of his shows are good. I recommend 'Witch Trails'
*Any show in the Mud Pit--Beowulf in the Mud is really good. Be aware no matter how far back you sit, you may get muddy
*Any of the shows at the Globe are good. Shakespeare in 60 seconds is classic (especially MacBeth)

And make sure you take in at least one joust. Jousting is Maryland's State Sport!

I won't even comment on the food. Anything and everything is absolutely delicious! I definitely recommend the fried macaroni and cheese, cheesecake on a stick, the crab cakes are awesome...infact, I couldn't even begin to list them all! And you'll want to take some cash for vendors too, there's over 100 shops at the MD Faire from costumes to swords to metalworked flowers. (There's a great sword shop by the joust arena, between the jousting and the elephant rides.)

You'll have a blast! Oh...and make sure you bow if the Queen or King walk by, you don't want to be given shit in Olde English

[christmasjedi.livejournal.com]

That sounds like a fun plan!

We have actually been meaning to go to DC for many years now. My sister-in-law and her family live in Herndon, VA, and I've never been to their house, and I've only done DC once, with my Dad and brother almost 10 years ago now. We have several friends in the area as well, so it would be a good trip for us. We just need to find a good time to go.

[fidgetmonster.livejournal.com]

we've been meaning to go too, and now we live pretty close. i know it's too far in advance to start planning, but i'm sure it'd be fine if you wanted to stay here for some of your visit. you always have an open invitation anyway, so just let us know!

MD

[dancer.livejournal.com]

"we've been meaning to go too, and now we live pretty close. i know it's too far in advance to start planning, but i'm sure it'd be fine if you wanted to stay here for some of your visit. you always have an open invitation anyway, so just let us know!"

It would be so much fun to see you guys then, and check out the new place! Its a long time away, but we'll figure out something. Thank you so much for offering to host us. :) I imagine we'll stay at a couple different places over the trip (I'd like to do a romantic B&B thing for at least a couple of days, and visit you and some other local friends too).

[andrewfeland.livejournal.com]

If you go to DC, I highly recommend the Spy Museum, the Ford Theater museum, and the annex to the National Air and Space Museum.

[arianasilver.livejournal.com]

Oh, when you're in DC, remember that the Smithsonian Museums are free entry, you'll pay extra for I-Max films and the like. Personally I'd recommend the Holocaust Museum (not exactly uplifting, but something I think everyone should see once). The Museum of Natural History, The National Air and Space Museum, and the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden. You might want to check ahead of when you go and see what type of traveling exhibts they have. Last time I went to the Museum of Natural History was about 4 years ago for an exhibit of Egyptian artifacts on loan from the Luxor Museum in Ciaro...it was a bit of a wait to get in, but well worth it :)

Also, a lot of the museums are easy to find...if you're in the "Mall" (near the reflection pool) the museums kinda branch off of there.

[emzebel.livejournal.com]

Damn, we might actually have to go to Faire this year. ;)

[silentq.livejournal.com]

I'll actually be in Bethesda, MD Oct 15-18 for a meeting, and hope to check out some stuff in DC proper while I'm in the area. I'm still unsure if we'll be "confined to campus" due to security regulations, but hopefully not! If there's anything I can scope out for you while I'm there, let me know. :)