Musketeers but not Marketeers ??
In this region of South West France ( Le Gers) there is undoubtedly a wealth of history and this is evidenced by the large numbers of very old buildings and of course, 'bastide' style villages which adorn most hilltops.
Recently we chose another day out at the famous village of Lupiac. Here they were celebrating all things 'D'Artagnan' as they have for just 2 years now.
It proved to be a colourful day, with much ancient costume on display. To get the feel of the day it was necessary to visit the mock 'bank' and to change your Euros for 'Louis' coins a local style of groat I think !! Anyway, having safely got your currency you were free to roam the village and buy food, drink and other bibs and bobs. Food was a little restrictive, BUT, there was a totally dedicated area for this, and providing you were willing to enter into the spirit of it all, then an opportunity for refuelling could be found- bon appetit !!
Enactments were of course part of the days events, to include of course 'jousting' and mock mini sword fighting battles for the amusement of the crowds. All this was fine and a chat in another area with a guy suitably dressed in his 16th/17th century garb with a long musket to boot would have been great, were it not for the 'jump out of your skin' moment when his counterpart decided to fire the canon standing just 10 feet away. The blast and shock waves from this were immense and most people certainly jumped or responded in a similar way. Later on in the day, the 'fuse' lighter guy took to announcing his intentions just before lighting it, enabling you to retreat a little further away should you feed the need !!. No harm done though.
Feeling jaded, we decided to visit the Musee, just away from the centre of Lupiac. A guide took us around the museum (musee) and chatted away merrily for about 20 minutes, followed by a video. Unfortunately it was all in French, and in this regard perhaps a little difficult for those whose grasp of French is not all it might be. However, it is interesting nevertheless, and beautifully presented.
So, to sum up, we found the Musketeers to be an enjoyable day out.
The marketing side of things could be a little better, but hey this is just their second year at it, so as they say here 'plus en plus' !!
