Lavish Sets, Awe Inspiring Automata and Startling Spectacles Is how I would describe Puy De Fou and Les Machines.

From Monday the 11^th of April – Thursday the 14^th I embarked on a college trip to France to visit historical theme park Puy De Fou in the Vendee region and Les Machines which can be found in the city of Nantes. We stayed at Puy De Fou for two nights and in Nantes for one with a day at Les Machines and exploring a bit of Nantes. This was only my second trip to France (I went to Paris last year) therefore the experience was very eye opening in multiple ways. Both places were very theatrical and have left me with much inspiration for the future therefore I thought I’d do a post to share some of the highlights of the trip.

Sea Horse Automata at Les Machines

Firstly I will discuss the experience that is Puy De Fou: a self -contained theme park in the countryside of the Vendee its main attraction is it’s ‘shows,’ these are short half an hour performances which tell stories of the history of France. You can watch so much, from Joan of Arc to the French Revolution, Birds of Prey to the Knights of the Round Table; every show is a spectacle to the eyes and ears featuring lavish sets, costumes and dramatic rousing music. As well as these spectacles there are immersive walk through tours/exhibitions focusing on various places, notably of the Battle of Verdun and a fairy-tale chateau. Throughout the park all the employees are dressed in period costume even the hotel and restaurant staff. We stayed in the Roman Gallo Villa but there are also options to stay in Viking huts or medieval tents.

All the shows dialogue is spoken in French which can make some of the plots hard to fathom, however even where this is the case you can just enjoy the visual spectacle (or hire translation headphones for five euros).

Spectacle is the key word at Puy De Fou, very show is incredible however there were some I was particularly impressed by which I will mention in more detail. Firstly there was the Le Dernier Panache or The Last Plume which told the story of the role of Nantes in the French Revolution and one man’s fight for liberty, the said man was later shot by rifle squad in the scene so probably didn’t realise this dream in his lifetime. This is Puy De Fou’s latest show; it opened this year and is clearly their most extravagant yet. The audience seats revolve and the stage features several doors which slide back to reveal different scenes of the show. These included the hull of a ship a ballroom and wrecked cathedral in the snow.

The Stage for The Last Plume

As someone who has always been fascinated by anything to do with the French Revolution I really enjoyed the show I thought the story was engaging and powerful even if some of the finer details were lost through the language barrier. The costumes were also well done, if a little historically inaccurate at times. For example the women in the ballroom were wearing polonaise skirts which didn’t come into fashion until the 1770’s onwards and this scene was meant to be in 1730. Furthermore a couple of them were a strong fuchsia pink in colour. Although this was probably done to provide contrast, a colour so vibrant would not have been worn at the time.  I intend to talk more about the costumes later as it was our primary reason for going to visit Puy de Fou and I generally  found them disappointing, many looked a bit like they had come out the fancy dress shop. Part of the reason for this was almost none of the costumes were broken down. They all looked to clean for the times they were portraying!

Another of the best shows was The Phantom Birds Dance or Le Bal des Oiseaux Fantomes. This featured many birds of prey flying over the crowd set to thundering music.  These great natural aviators sored over your head, at times only just skimming over the audience. I really enjoyed the music to this show and the finale where over thirty birds swirled through the sky. It was an incredible sight. We loved it so much we watched this show twice! The secretary bird was also pretty striking its unusual looks caught my eye.

The Secretary Bird

There was also a show about the invasion of the Vikings the action here was set across a small moat where a French village had been constructed. During the course of the show there were many aesthetic surprises. Longboats rose up from the water and stuntmen galloped over the set on horseback. The destruction caused by the northern invaders was displayed to full effect, complete with flaming plumes of fire. The costumes were better executed hear than at The Last Plume appearing slightly more authentic, however this could have been because they were further away. Some of the ladies dresses had bright colour combinations which lifted the otherwise quite dull tones of the set. In all I would say the Vikings is one of the most breathtaking, nail biting shows.

Vicking Fire, Longboats and Destruction

Another bombastic show was the Triumphs Sign or Le Signe du Triomphe which tells the story of the circus games. Set in a Roman coliseum the show featured lions, chariot racing and gladiator fighting. Be prepared to be transported to Roman France! The coliseum itself it a major talking point, it is quite surreal to sit in what is a very authentic looking building. It is a very impressive space.

Despite it being the bigger shows that attract the most attention I actually enjoyed a couple of the smaller ones more; The Secret of the Lance  or le Secret de la Lance tells the story of a Shepardess girl's encounter with Joan of Arc and learning to use a lance to protect the city walls. The show featured some amazing horse stunt men and an impressive set. The horses and knights livery were striking in bold colours and patterns. 

Colourful Knights Livery

I also really enjoyed the Knights of the Round Table show. Its set was so impressive; a castle was set across from a moat but part way through the scene a portion of the lake sinks down into the ground revealing the round table. Meanwhile the water is flowing into this inner chamber. It is so dramatic if a little hard to explain so please look at my photo it probably communicates this better. As I love the Arthurian legends I really loved this show it was definitely my favourite!

Knights of the Round Table

We also saw a show in the evening called Organs of Fire, set to classical music, water is spurted into the air creating patterns in violet neon light while dancers in light up costumes skated around the lake. The performance was dazzling, and awe inspiring in how tall the water could shoot into the sky, higher than the trees. It was also the first time I have heard an organ live which again was impressive. Having said this I did expect there to be more to the performance perhaps some fireworks or something. Once you got over the initial wow factor of the ‘water dancing’ I kept thinking this is nice is there going to be something else?  

When you aren’t watching a show there are several themed restaurants and eateries around the sight whether you just want a salad or baguette or a three course meal there is lots of choice. If its retail therapy you are looking for there is the 1900’s Belle Époque town which boasts some lovely art nouveau architecture and decoration. There are several gift shops selling toy catapults, kids dress up, jewellery, fans and parasols as well as tins of sweets.  In the medieval village you can find hand crafted gifts such as necklaces, earrings, charms and key rings to fur skins or wood carvings.  I indulged in a hand- made poppy necklace and some sweets.  

Love this Window  very Art Nouveau in the 1900 town

Now as I am a costume student I feel it is important to discuss the costumes seen at Puy de Fou; as I said before this was our primary reason for going and to be blunt I am not sure why this is. Many were very poorly made with cheap trims and fabrics; the general consensus of the group was they all looked like they had been bought from a fancy dress shop. They didn’t have a true sense of period like we see in this country. I think this is partially due to the lack of breaking down. The costumes were all to clean and new looking. Someone from the middle ages or Roman times isn’t going to have a pure white or unmarked costume. I can’t say I have learnt anything particularly about costume from going to Puy de Fou. It is an incredibly immersive place and magical at times; but I did feel it was a bit like what I imagine being on a cruise ship is like because it is all self -contained in one park but with historical themes. Would I go there on a holiday? I would have to answer no. But did I enjoy the trip? The answer would be yes. Have I learnt much from it or has it inspired me? I’m not sure maybe a little but certainly not a lot.

On the Wednesday we travelled to the city of Nantes and Les Machines. Les Machines is a company that designs and builds giant mechanical creatures. The two major attractions are The Carousel a three floor creation where visitors can walk around and ride on the level of their choice; and the Grand Elephant a giant moving automaton, visitors can pay for a half an hour ride where you can stand and look out from the Elephant’s back or sit in its belly and marvel at the engineering on display.

The Carousel at Les Machines

You can also visit the gallery which explains Les Machines most extravagant plans yet to build a ginormous tree complete with creatures including two flying pelicans. They also had a massive spider and aeroplane on display which they demonstrate their automation of periodically.  Included in the carousel price you can look over at the workshops where they build the creatures currently they are building a centaur.

I rode on the Elephant and went in and rode on the Carousel. I would say the carousel is more exciting than the Elephant as the elephant is quite slow and there isn’t much to see. You’re better off just looking at the elephant from the ground. The Carousel is an impressive site very theatrical and imaginative. It has a marine life theme of fishes, octopus, boats, submarines and many more. I chose to rid the sea horses on the top level(see first pic). This has a very steam punk look cast in quite earthy metallic colours. The automata are really unique and creative.

The Grand Elephant

I really enjoyed Les Machines, it was good value for money, to see the Gallery and ride the Elephant it only cost approx 8 euros and similar to see the workshops and ride on the Carousel. I took lots of photos of the different creatures as many had unusual features. I reckon it will be these shapes and forms that may inspire me in the future.it is such a unique creative place worth visiting if you are taking a holiday to Nantes.

Overall I would say Les Machines was perhaps more inspiring from a costume perspective however I did enjoy Puy De Fou. It was a whirlwind couple of days spent seeing some incredible stuff and making wonderful memories with great people. If nothing else it was exceedingly good fun and time well spent!!!