Bitwa Narodow

Everywhere I go, I see posters for this epic. Bitwa Narodow. Battle of the Nations. Reenactments of medieval fights. By people who are very serious about the authenticity of their medieval reenactments.

So, when I found out that there was a very very long holiday in Poland, I started searching for all included vacations to the Canary Islands. However, the cheapest trips were to Tunisia. I thought about it fairly seriously. Then I began to wonder if it was really a good idea to go somewhere with a US State Department travel warning. So, I figured I had to take advantage of what Warsaw has to offer.

Mainly: Sunshine and Bitwa Narodow.

On Monday, we took the longest hike ever from the bus stop to Fort Bema. Once we were inside Fort Bema it was another long hike to the entrance of Bitwa Narodow. Luckily, we arrived in time for the opening pageant. Well, partially into the opening pageant. So, we walked in to the sounds of the American National Anthem. Holla. Then we watched the American Medieval Warriors (pause for chuckles) walk out. We caught up with the American team, and they were super nice to us. They talked to us about the battles and the weaponry andwhatnot. They were very chill, even giving me an American flag to wave around.

After all the walking we did, we already had a sunburn by the time we walked in. So, we waited a bit before heading out with the intention of coming back soon.

So... Thursday we rolled in again. Just in time for the jousting. Once again, we managed to get into the best situation for photo taking as the jousters paraded into the arena.

After watching the jousting - which was almost as good as in A Knight's Tale or at Medieval Times - Lola tried out her Katniss Everdeen skills with a bow and arrow. We did a little shopping at the booths of craft goods. Some of them were super authentic. Some were super ridiculous. There was a coffee mug with images of knights fighting all over it. I loved it, but I did not buy it. Knowing I'm going home soon, I'm trying to stay minimalist.

Before we left, we watched a giant "all-on-all" battle in which all the participants got into the rink and fought each other. It was pretty epic. Then I snuck over to the American encampment to take photos with the "authentic" American medieval crowds and stuff.