Renissance Festival 2010!

I was so happy to be able to go to the Renaissance Festival this year! I got to go last year with my whole family, including my uncle and grandmother on my mom's side of the family. But this year I went solo, well with only one of my siblings. Josh and I had a lot of fun together, and we bonded over this amazing experience. I never expected that to happen! We could not find half the people on the list because they were either not at the Faire that day, or escorting other school children to and from events. I was very sad about it, but I was able to have a great day of learning and fun anyway! My mother fixed my hair into a "crown braid" and I felt like a fairy princesses".

What I learned about Queen Juana of Spain.

• She is the daughter of King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella who funded Columbus’s explorations.

• She has 6 children with her husband King Felipe of Spain. She calls him “Phillip the Handsome”.
• Her sister is Catherine Argon who was married King Henry the 8^th.
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What I learned about Ackbar the Moor:

• He hails from Istanbul.
• He started going to the academy young, because he wants to be an admiral.
• He is 30 years old and he is 3 years away from becoming a full fledged admiral!
• He is close with his grandmother, but she is a bit whiner and very talkative!

The pirates we extremely nice! Especially the Captain. Hm....I wonder if I'm allowed to say that. He told me where to find certain people, and also what to look for when so I wouldn't pass by somebody that I needed to meet! Because of him I found Ackbar the Moor. He told me to look for a man in a turban, I would have walked right passed Ackbar if the Captain hadn't told me what to look for!

I was ecstatic when I realized who this character was! I used to act in youth productions of Shakespeare plays! In "A Midsummers Night's Dream", I played the fairy Peaseblossom, and got to pet "Bottoms" head. This moment made me remembered that amazing experience on stage. This "Bottom" is definitely my favorite "Bottom"!

The first person I met was "Hammish MacGregor the Piper"! He was so nice! Unfortunately, I kind of forgot to ask him my questions. I asked for directions to the Queen of Spain!

The events we went to (that my brother refused to take pictures of) were:

• The Jousting tournament. We cheered for Spain! I felt sorry for the other guy because I always cheer for Spain. Oh well, maybe next year Ireland.
• Birds of Prey. This has and always will be my very favorite show at the Renaissance Festival. I love his owl she is beautiful. All of his birds are amazing. The birds all fascinate me. Especially the vulture. I know it sounds really weird but she is amazing.
• The Clan Tynker Show. They were kind of funny. They used Chinese Yo-Yo's, and it was amazing. I think the reason why I liked it so much is because I can appreciate how hard it is to use a Chinese Yo yo. It's crazy hard to do it normal, to keep it moving and on the string. Or maybe I'm just special that way!
• The School of Dance. We went to one session, but my brother would not dance with me. So I danced with my imaginary partner, and watched the others dance with their groups, and tried not to feel too envious.
• We stopped many times along the way to listen to the musicians that were playing. It was amazing. We also got to see a belly dancer at one stage! It was awesome!

My brother and I bought a bunch of um....food items. We also bought two bags of popcorn and two funnel cakes (Only one made it back home) to bring back home to our siblings.

I also bought an amazing "Wax Rose" I'm in love with it. It is so beautiful, and it makes me happy every time I look at it, so I put it on my desk at home. Best $6 ever spent! I also bought an adorable necklace that I wear with everything! (even when it doesn't match) Both items remind me of the wonderful time I got to spend with my brother, and all the the spectacular things we were able to do.

We rode on the spinning ride, ate a lot of pretzels and popcorn, looked at $80 umbrellas, and also saw a couple of our friends during the Festival. I actually learned about historical figures, and about the intelligence of birds, I also learned half of the dance, and met one of my favorite historic characters: Anne Boleyn! I cannot wait to go next year!

*Only Bad thing: I tripped on a pretzel on my way to the Jousting tournament. Yes, I did just say pretzel! I had dirt on my pants for the rest of the time!

-Lauren