Tuesday, January 27, 2009

going medieval

The Craver clan benefitted from someone else's generosity and we were treated to a day at Medieval Times. (I don't know exactly how much she paid, but I'm sure I could never afford it.) This was a treat for the whole family. If you are not familiar with this, here's what you get: You go into the castle, and except for the bathrooms (thankfully), everything is themed back to the middle ages. We take our places at narrow tables in an arena, and eat with our fingers, while watching a classic adventure unfold before our eyes. The horses are stunningly magnificent, and the actors do their parts so well! Their weapons handling, equestrian skills and athleticism really impressed me.

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When we first walk in the door, they assign a color, indicating which section of the arena we are to be seated, and which knight we are to cheer for. Then, a professional takes a group photo in the next room. I asked them what their rules are, concerning photos, and they said that I was free to take pictures of everything, except for that one particular room. Sweet!!

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They're very good at shaking all the money out of your pockets with so many delightful extras that can be purchased, whether it be at the dungeon (museum), bars, gift shops, or photo booths. I personally did not feel the need to buy anything else. The main event and my own pictures were quite satisfying; thank-you very much. Our benefactor bought trinkets and souvenirs for the kids, though.

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Normally, I do not like clapping, cheering, or yelling like a simple-minded fool. No, seriously. But this time, I told the family, that to enjoy the experience thoroughly, we had to completely immerse ourselves, and cheer for our green knight without restraint. It turns out, he was the bad guy. (Don't worry; they change the story.) But we had a blast, and I'm sure it was more fun for the performers and other fans as well. If you've never been there, I definitely recommend it.

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...More pics on Facebook & slideshow on Youtube!

6 comments:

Shammickite said...

It looks like fun! There's a Medieval Times here in Toronto but I have never gone to it. How was the food?

lime said...

we went there once and had a blast. we all wore white shirts and used each other as napkins too. yeah, we were the barbaric version....

mommanator said...

sounds like a hoot-good for you guys!

Craver Vii said...

The food tasted great. Eating with fingers is so much fun, I think I will adopt that as an occasional dinner theme, if my wife permits.

I wanted to take frequent photos, and my fingers were getting greasy with the chicken. Licking the fingertips wasn't thorough enough, so I dunked in the Pepsi and that cut through the grease well enough to handle the camera. Next time, I'm bringing extra napkins, unless we can convince Lime to come with us in her long-sleeved white shirt.

The dungeon/museum was disturbing. They showed all manner of instruments for torture, mutilation, and slow deaths. Plus, they described how each item was used. I cannot imagine what kind of sick mind comes up with these things. Oh sure, in 7th grade, we may have come up with gross stuff for hypothetical situations, but that someone would actually implement such horrific devices? Lord, have mercy!

Every Square Inch said...

Sounds like fun! I've always wanted to do something like that.

lorenzothellama said...

Hello Craver! That sounded really good fun. Sometimes we have 'Elizabethan' evenings here, in olde worlde castles, and we have to dress up as milk maids, and what have you.
There's usually a ghost too that makes an appearance some time during the evening!