A little break from home led the Martial Arts Nomad to the Maryland Renaissance Festival south of Annapolis one recent Sunday. The festival is a big medieval fair, apparently the largest such gathering in the US, and there you will find merrye men and ladies, hussards and wenches in costume carrying on in this medieval wonderland. We went through this  the enchanted forest for food, ale and mead, and enjoyed the entertainment. We found even that it is possible to mix alcohol and nasty weapons! We went off to the midway area with our ale and throw either half a dozen knives, stars or axes for a measly $2.oo. What an incredible bargain! The objective is to hit the heart, and you win a prize. I got a bullseye with a throwing star and won a ticket into the maze. I ended up giving it away later.

We wandered some more and found swords, helmets, elephants, turkey legs, and the jousting tournament. Of course its all for the enjoyment of the crowd, but handling a horse in heavy armor waving about a weapon of some kind and making it look real is not as easy as it looks.

It just goes to show that martial arts can be found everywhere.