Journées du Patrimoine

After a long day traveling (Washington to London, London to Luxembourg), my mom and I finally arrived in France on Thursday evening (9/13/12).

On Saturday, I moved into my residence, and what luck- it was the weekend of Journées du Patrimoine (Heritage Days). Patrimoine is an annual celebration when many cultural sites that usually charge admission or that are closed open their doors to the public for no or little charge.

To take advantage of Patrimoine, my French relatives and I visited the Museé Lorrain and had dinner at a restaurant in the Place Stanislas. We stayed late out on the square because there was an amazing light show about the history of Nancy.

Today, after visiting the Museum Aquarium de Nancy in the morning, we went to the Château de Fléville, a castle built during the Renaissance. The chateau continues to train falcons, just like the chevaliers (knights) did for hunting during the Renaissance.

Here are two quick videos of le specatcle fauconnerie (falconry) at the chateau. Enjoy!