There were 6 major productions of about 40 minutes each, and another 10 or so lesser programs of various lengths. It is impossible to see in one day, but we did our best.
Puy du Fou tells the history of France, and particularly of the Vendee, for perhaps 2000 years. Altogether, there are some 3200 actors and too many animals to count. They present the programs during the day, then all of them combine for the evening spectacular. There is no other word -- it is a spectacular.
We started with the Vikings. Our plucky Christian Gauls were minding their own business when set upon by the evil Vikings (who became the Normans, who became the French). The Vikings were particularly evil since their small ship came by rail down a hillside, landing in the lake, and their big ship actually rose out of the water, complete with soldiers aboard, from being fully submerged in the lake. After a pitched battle (although many bodies were on the ground, only one seemed to have expired), the evil Vikings notice that the relics of St. Philbert have taken on human form, and they suddenly convert, and go off to save souls.
The ship emerging from the water.
After the Vikings, we tried to get our bearings -- there's a lot of walking in Puy du Fou.
It was time for lunch so we made our want to one of the four villages, this one of the 18th Century. We'd brought our sandwiches -- perfectly acceptable in Puy du Fou -- and tlook over a picnic table.
The village featured a variety of workshops where crafts were practiced, such as illuminating parchment, leather works, wood works, pottery, and the one, scents and spices.
Our next stop was the Gladiators, another of the major productions. The coliseum is the sort that would have been found in the Vendee when it was governed by Rome, and our story had a familiar ring -- the evil Roman governor was bringing some Christians into the arena to be hacked at by gladiators and eaten by lions, which may be slightly higher level entertainment than Jersey Shore. A gladiator confessed he was also Christian and in love with a Christian woman, so the governor said all would be spared if the gladiator fought and won. So he did, but the governor brought our the lions anyway. And there were four big lions. Real ones. But since the governor was evil, they refused to eat the Christians and all promptly took naps. The much livelier tiger did the same. Ultimately, the Roman soldiers mutinied, and threw out the governor, and all was well.We started with a parade, including a batch of ostriches,
geese,
and camels.
Part of the gladiators' fight was a chariot race, and they meant business -- the chariots careened around the arena with the horses at a full run -- no fakey stuff here.
Napping lion.
Goodness triumphs.
Tom and I went off to the Secret of the Lance, with a plot too silly to recount. Suffice to say that a shepherdess with a magic lance from Joan of Arc saved her Christian town from the evil English, all mostly an excuse to show off some very impressive jousting and rodeo moves by the horses and riders, and the moving castle and castle walls.
Next, off to the Phantom of the Birds. A plot too weird to comprehend, but mostly because we were awed by the birds flying all around us, swooping down within inches of our heads. But it had alot to do with Christians and preserving the faith through the dark ages. And magic. I think. But there were owls, falcons, bald eagles (yes, bald eagles), giant buzzards, storks, and a bunch of other things that we never could figure out. This little guy planted himself on Tom's hat!
The finale was an ultralight that started at the far reaches of the park, and swooped overhead at the end of the show. Cool.
We took a breather for the Giant Waters, which was a musical production with fountains spouting.
By this time Ann, Clare and Jeanne had had enough and were ready to head home. Tom and I had a whopping four hours to kill before the Ciniescenie, so we took the little train to the far end of the park to see the Medieval Village. 
Even in medieval times, the girls hang around the boys.
It even had a fake church, with fake frescoes.
Like the 18th century village, the shops were filled with various craftsmen and women performing the crafts of the day.
We walked through the really lovely gardens on the way to the car for jackets and sweaters.
On the way we stopped at the Bourg 1900 and checked out the gift shops.
And then it was time for the Ciniescenie, where 14000 people filled an arena facing a full sized lake ringed with buildings and walls, with a chateau on the other side. The story was pretty much incomprehensible, even with our English translation, but it covered 700 years of Vendienne history. From the show, it featured lots of dancing, the war of 1793 (when the people of the Vendee revolted against the republican central government and were slaughtered by the tens of thousands), WWI and WWII.But the story made almost no difference. The show was simply spectacular -- a cast of 3200, dozens of horses running, jumping, dancing and falling over dead. Pigs and piglets dashing across the "stage." Ditto geese, cows with calves, oxen and donkeys. Dancers and actors on every part of the stage including on the lake, lights and activity as far away as the nearby village at windmills. the chateau lit up as a chateau, transformed into a flaming hulk, made into other buildings with lights and smoke. Fountains and light creating a church on the water. Then, toward the end, lighting effects that overpowered all the rest of the staging area, followed by fireworks that went on for 20 minutes. Unbelievable. We will go back every year, even considering the hour to get from our seats to the parking lot, and the traffic on the way out of town, and the deadly fog that took twice as long to get home as expected. Just spectacular!
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