Verdun and Le Grand Festival, July 15-17

We were out in the countryside for the Fete National, France’s Bastille Day celebration featuring speeches and fireworks so we missed that fun, but we would be in Verdun for a three day celebration of art and music for the following weekend…we just didn’t know it.

We had planned to spend a couple days in town, not aware of the upcoming event, so imagine our surprise when we turned the sharp corner into the Verdun harbor to find it stuffed full of boats!

Back by the bridge is the stage for the big musical performances on Saturday night.

 We’d have nearly front row seats!

Luckily we were able to find a spot along side John and Maureen’s Harmonie II and we settled in for the weekend.

Each day featured art, music and acrobatics. Musicians strolled through the streets, a modern dance installation was in the theater and a man-made impressionistic thunderstorm of sorts was set up in a section of the old fort. Giant balloons danced on the breeze in the river.

Saturday night after the big concert on the waterfront (featuring Bigflo and Oli!), we walked over to a nearby park for the featured acrobatics of the Cirk Vost performing on an apparatus constructed out of bamboo.

Sunday afternoon featured all sorts of silliness with a joke/exercise troupe and an “astronaut” that was “launched” on his apparatus and then wheeled around the waterfront.

The big finale of Sunday and the festival was an performance called "Galileo" by Deus ex Machina that was quite impressive. Nine acrobats used a very intricate “machine” for their performance high above the crowd.

This was the ”machine” in the daytime. Galileo is up there rehearsing. 

Up in the air on the crane the acrobats are flying about on the rotating machine.

The big finale.

Monday morning we were off. Our plan was to be in Charleville-Mezier by Saturday. There is a big marina there, a great place to leave the boat for an extended stay. The following Monday morning we’d be renting a car to head up to Holland, making arrangements for the winter and then, later in the week, we’d be driving back to Burgundy for Michelle’s birthday party.