Every day in France has at least one Saint dedicated to it. September 1st is the day dedicated to Saint-Gilles and the first weekend after is always the date for a large fairground (Fête Foraine) and boot fair (Vide Grenier = Empty Loft) in the centre of Condé-sur-Noireau. It is always something the boys look forward to and something I hope they will forget about ... I am not a lover of fairgrounds although I do like a good boot fair. Sadly they did not forget about it and despite offering them a trip to the beach they insisted we went to Condé instead.
 |
| Fairground rides |
 |
| Fairground games |
 |
| Reglisse (liquorice) in some wonderful colours |
 |
| Sausage in a baguette anyone? So French. |
 |
| The Boot Fair |
So did the boys think they had made the right decision of fair over beach?
Yes and no - we gave them 10€ each to spend or save as they wanted. Ben chose not to go on any rides and saved all his money. Tom went on one ride and saved the rest. Overall they were at the age where they had outgrown many of the younger rides and there was not a huge selection of older ones. They both saw that spending their money of fairground games was probably a waste in view of the poor quality prizes they may have won but the did like the atmosphere and of course came away richer than when they went. Was this better than the beach? I am not sure they actually thought so! It'll be interesting to see if they want to go next year.
As for me - I did get a plant at the boot fair and I loved this tea stall:
 |
| Tea anyone? |
I also think I might have preferred the Foire as it was around 1900 - an farm animal fair! Not many ladies to be seen in this photo though, but I love the farmers in their Sunday-best smocks.
 |
| Foire de Saint Gilles, Condé-sur-Noireau c 1900 |
Are you a thrill seeker who likes fairground rides? And what about a Boot Fair? Do you love them or hate them?
I don't really like the fairground rides, I'm not much of a thrill seeker at all. My boys and the hubby are though, they love it!
ReplyDeleteI can feel sick just looking at a ride but older son loves them. Younger is more like me and Simon is"wary"! All three are fairly into thrill seeking on a whole - rock climbing etc but I like to keep my feet firmly on the ground.
DeleteI love to see fairs like this!
ReplyDeleteI'll let you go with the boys next time then!
DeleteMy children love fairgrounds but we try to avoid them because they are so very expensive. I would chose the beach over a fair every time! #whatsthestory
ReplyDeleteMe too!
DeleteMy kids are still little so love the rides, though I like the sound of a bargain plant buy! x
ReplyDeleteThe plant was definitely the highlight of the afternoon for me!
Delete