Has this become a travel journal? Yet amid travels, such journeys uncover rich inspiration in many ways...

On the road again, we decided to take a rollicking romp through Elizabethan England at the New York Renaissance Faire. Overcast and cooler, the weather provided the perfect backdrop for strolling the majestic groves of Sterling Forest in Tuxedo Park. Discovering 16th Century games, rides, arts & crafts, food, music and dance on this opening day, there was so much to see! All the spectacles, including the colorful characters in attendance, added to the total experience. The New York Renaissance Faire, in full swing Saturdays and Sundays through September 25th, is the perfect place to awaken your spirit with the soul and essence of a bygone era...

The costumes were everything from elaborate works of art in laced-up brocades to simple cotton sheaths, cinched with leather and lace. Shops lined the primitive walkways on either side, beckoning you to browse and explore inside.

On Spende Penny Lane, row after row of corsets, skirts, poet blouses and novel hand made leather accessories stir the imagination. At the Renaissance Faire, fantasy replaces reality, awakening the child within. 

Music filled the air over Robin's Hood Bridge and in the Pavilion, and we even encountered a resident rooster! Art could be found around every corner.  Mystical bronze sculptures, color rich mosaics and ancient keys furnish the magical aura surrounding us...

But alas, all good things come to an end. The sky opened up with showers later in the day, ushering us on our way home. In this place where reality is left at bay upon arrival, departing visitors are cleverly reminded of the fate awaiting beyond the gates...

Sometimes an escape to where fantasy rules is indeed time well spent... Even for just an afternoon... xoxo - Sonya