Once in a while the old castle is besieged in a friendly way by re-enactors. This time it was the venue the annual Jousting tournament of the Lowlands, so all kinds of medieval folk journeyed to our little town.
Different sized tents were erected and everyone was dressed up to give the public an almost realistic view of the past.
Of course common footfolk were supposed to stay out of the way of the nobles on horseback eager to pose for a camera.
All kinds of trade were represented
Acrobats showed their tricks..
As did this "thief", looking for an opportunity to perform his art.
The Sheriff and his patrol on the lookout for mischief. Followed by some freelance Vikings looking for some entertainment.
These people relaxed in style.
Meanwhile some of the lesser knights were on foot, showing their longsword combat skills in a serious match.
For some reason this warrior didn't impress us much, though he fought well.
I don't know what this looks like.
The portrait painter displayed a very convincing self-portrait.
Big men weaving baskets. Very nice baskets too.
We already knew vegetarianism wasn't popular in the Middle ages.
This musician demonstrated the possibilities of his bagpipes.
We never had the opportunity to see inside the old castle barn, but this time the doors were open.
So now we could inspect the old beamed roof.
Some of the visitors were also dressed in style.
Weather stayed almost dry, despite the threatening skies.
Visitors could participate in heritage activities. This kid was lucky his mom was so focused on taking his picture, she missed the authentic basked of rotten apples available.
Robin hood's cousin pondering taking a rest from archery.
This portable forge would be a handy piece of equipment in our garage. Mostly built out of wood , leather and a little iron.
Old crusader dude directing traffic and proposing to suitable young lady visitors
Playing target for the archers.
Now we get to the serious contenders. Knight in full armour and his cool ride all revved up.
It's a bit like a dragrace in opposite directions with flagpoles. This is the warm up heat.
Then the maiden hands over the lance.
And then they charge and try to hit each others shield for points. When they hit the lance breaks in a shower of wood and the referee grants three points for the hit. The horses seem to like this sport , so the are eager to start, but there are some more points for actually stopping at the start of the run. The fiercest horses don't care about stopping at all, so they lose points here.
Experts at the sideline discuss the score.
After the tournament winners and runners up compare notes.
Eager fans ask for a signature before heading home.
Different sized tents were erected and everyone was dressed up to give the public an almost realistic view of the past. 
All kinds of trade were represented 
As did this "thief", looking for an opportunity to perform his art.
The Sheriff and his patrol on the lookout for mischief. Followed by some freelance Vikings looking for some entertainment. 
Meanwhile some of the lesser knights were on foot, showing their longsword combat skills in a serious match. 
We already knew vegetarianism wasn't popular in the Middle ages.
