Burgundy Chateau Building - One Block at a Time!

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TREIGNY, France -- Once upon a time, deep in the forests of Burgundy, a man was haunted by a vision. He dreamed of building a castle, with turrets, great walls and a moat. Some people wondered if he was mad.
This was, after all, 1996.

And yet Michel Guyot set out to build his castle the hard way -- the medieval way. With only hammers and chisels to carve the stones. With only horses to cart the rock. Without power tools.

Ten years later, Guedelon castle is about one-third finished, with imposing sandstone walls that rise up out of the red Burgundy soil. It's a living history lesson and a successful tourism project: Last year, 245,000 visitors admired the work of Guedelon's stonecutters, carpenters, potters, rope-makers and blacksmiths.

The 50 paid craftsmen, plus volunteers, wear tunics and use rustic tools. Except for the occasional hard hat or pair of safety goggles, there's little to remind visitors that this is not the 13th century.

On a recent visit to Guedelon, I watched in awe as a man climbed into a wooden contraption that looked like a huge hamster wheel. He ran frantically, spinning the wheel and activating a pulley system that lifted a load of stones atop a tower.

When he was done, our tour group broke into applause, and poor Jean-Paul climbed off the wheel, huffing and puffing and fanning his tunic. It was all so ... medieval.

Tourists bring in $2.6 million

Guyot, an archeology buff, mounted the project after restoring a castle in nearby Saint-Fargeau. Building a castle from scratch was a childhood dream -- a sandcastle on a huge scale.

''I told myself that acts of folly are the only things that one doesn't regret in life,'' Guyot said. ''With projects like this, you just have to go for them, full-speed ahead.''

Though some pronounced the project outlandish, others quickly understood his vision. It took only one year to secure financing and get going. Work began in 1997. Guedelon, which brought in about $2.6 million from tourists last year, no longer relies on outside funding from the state or corporations.

Historical accuracy is key. Jacques Moulin, France's chief architect in charge of historic monuments, designed a blueprint for the castle based on 13th century architectural canons. Archeologists and art historians survey the project, which is helping castle specialists test hypotheses about medieval building techniques.

''You learn that you can lift 1,300-pound beams without modern machinery,'' said Maryline Martin, the site director. ''All it takes is common sense and manpower.''

Guedelon's craftsmen say it's satisfying to build something slowly, as a team, especially in the fast-paced Internet age. Clement Guerard, a stonecutter, says measuring out and carving a complicated stone may take up to eight days.

All the stones -- ferruginous sandstone -- come from a quarry on the site of the castle. The wooden scaffolding comes from the surrounding forest.

''Using only the nature that surrounds you, you can build a chateau," said Guerard, who restored historical buildings before joining Guedelon.

Abbey, village also planned

On my visit, the ''ping'' of chisels on rock filled the air, and our tour group was occasionally moved out of the way by a passing horse-drawn cart. Our guide blended humor with the history lesson and had us play the role of invaders to explain how even the smallest architectural details helped protect castles.

Some examples: A staircase turns clockwise, forcing invaders to transfer their spears to the left hand and giving the defense an advantage. An extra-tall step requires them to take off their chain-link armor to scale it. Anyone who actually makes it up the stairs alive would have to bend over to pass through a low doorway -- giving the castle's hatchet-armed defenders a prime crack at their necks.

Our guide was waiting for me outside the doorway -- in position to karate chop my neck. If it was the 13th century, I would have lost my head. Instead I had a great view of the bustling work site.

Some of the walls are already covered with moss, a reminder that the project is slow-going. If all goes well, the castle will be finished in 2023. After that, the craftsmen plan to build an abbey, then a village.

''This will never be finished, because it's not about the end result of having a castle,'' Guyot said. It's about the dream of building -- stone by stone.

http://www.guedelon.com/

  
 
 

OCTOBER 2006

News of Sorts | Current & Upcoming Events | Feature Site & Links
Travel News, Deals, Announcements | Travel Tips

News of Sorts

Nuit Blanche 2006 - Paris Oct 7
The incredible light installations contrasted up against the night of the city make Nuit Blanche a unique and incredibly innovative opportunity to explore, anywhere and everywhere in the city. In its 5th year running, Nuit Blanche is accessible to the art-lover and explorer alike -- just be prepared to stay up all night! For more information (and to check out a highly informative website with video), check: www.nb2006.paris.fr/


TGV from Paris to Eastern France/Germany - Opening 2007
June 10, 2007 - the TGV from Paris will begin operations to Eastern France, Germany, and Switzerland. Paris to Strasbourg in just over 2 hours! See new lines and hours at www.sncf.com

Strong 2006 season for France’s hospitality industry
French Ministry of Tourism figures just released reveal that the 2006 tourist season, despite far less than ideal weather conditions, progressed by as much as 4% over 2005 figures (in terms of lodging nights – hotels, gîtes), with the most popular destinations being the Atlantic Coast, the Riviera and the entire southwestern part of the country.


If you have comments or suggestions, feel free to send them to our email address at the bottom. Enjoy!


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Events in France

Paris Museum exhibit: Grand Palais
Paris’ Grand Palais is hosting an exhibition through January 15, 2007 entitled, “Once Upon a Time, Walt Disney” devoted to the early inspiration of this artistic genius who brought animation to the big screen and to all audiences. The exhibition contains some of Disney’s original drawings from the 1930’s and 1940’s, in addition to tracing his path from California’s drawing studios to Europe where he found much of his material (Aesop’s Fables for his first short features, tales from the Brother Grimm, Kipling’s “The Jungle Book”) and many a talented associate (including Salvador Dali)…
http://www.rmn.fr/index-gb.html

Getting spooked in France for Halloween
While considered for a long time a holiday solely observed on the other side of the Atlantic, Halloween in France has been gaining in popularity over the past few years. Tapping into this fascination for festive tribute to the world of phantoms, witches and demons, Disneyland Paris will become a pretty scary place during October. The “Spooky Street USA” parade offers a version of Count Mickey, Countess Minnie and Devil Donald sure to give you some autumn chills and thrills…more info

Jazz in Eastern France
The Jazz Pulsations Festival, held October 7 through 21 in the eastern French town of Nancy (280 km from Paris) offers a heady lineup this time around. Pulsations has been organized as a venue for showcasing groups and singers representative of a wide array of music genres: reggae, blues, world music, opera, hip-hop and dub, and gospel. Concerts are held at the Parc de la Pépinière, in the heart of the city. The feature performance for this year’s edition will be given outdoors under a large tent by celebrated jazz saxophonist John Zorn.
http://www.nancyjazzpulsations.com/NJP_2006_Prod/mininjp/infosprat_en.asp


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Discover France -Travel & Tour Announcements

Tour and Travel News:

Low Season is Here! Well, it is only October, and in Paris that is still high season, but looking ahead to November through March low season offers great rates to Paris travelers. We are offering Stay 4 and Pay for 3 nights in many Paris hotels and in some cases Stay 3 and Pay for 2 nights. See the Paris Hotels section of our site for the participating hotels.

Paris Walking Tours - small groups up to 5 persons - available upon request www.gotoparis.net/paris_tours.htm

LAST MINUTE HIKING TOUR offer in Languedoc region of southern France. Min 10 days advance booking notice; subject to availability: In sunny southern Languedoc, just north of the Spanish border in French Catalonia you will discover quiet walks among the vineyards of the region. Excellent Catalan Mediterranean style cuisine daily, and an "Off the Beaten Path" experience. Available into the first week of November, at the reduced rate of 895 Euros! 7 Nights tour, very complete! More details...


NEW: Burgundy Wine and Gastronomy Tour! Available year round, including low season. Private cooking lessons, wine tasting, lodging and MUCH more. A perfect add-on to a few days in Paris. See full details...


COOKING & EASY WALKING - FROM November 2006 through all seasons in 2007! A deluxe package for as few as 2 persons, this short program will give you a sample of the best Languedoc has to offer: cuisine, wine, weather, and natural beauty! New change of hotels offers luxurious experience...see full details.

CALL US WITH ANY QUESTIONS: 800-960-2221 or 480-905-1235

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Web Links

Virtual Tour to the Cave of Lascaux:
http://www.culture.gouv.fr/culture/arcnat/lascaux/en/

Musee du Quai Branley:
http://www.fluctuat.net/3234-Musee-du-quai-Branly-galerie-photos

Beaune/Hospices de Beaune:
http://www.hospices-de-beaune.com/gb/hospices/historique.php


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Travel Info

Good news for travelers: France’s Parliament nears adoption of a full smoking ban in public places

As of 2007, but hélas more likely following the tourist season than prior, French hotels, restaurants, cafés and bars will be forced to comply with an ordinance first passed in 1992 calling for a smoking ban in all public places. Fourteen years ago however, the ban merely consisted of a vigorous poster campaign and it was a secret to no one that the measure lacked enforcement, with fines seldom, if ever, being distributed. By the end of the 1990’s, hotel lobbies, train stations, the metro and restaurants were still engulfed in a lingering nicotine-laden cloud. Over the past few years however, the anti-tobacco lobby started flexing more muscle, the health industry took a bolder and more visible stance against the ill effects of second-hand smoke and, most importantly, France’s neighbors Italy and Spain, where the population is just as hooked on lighting up, passed some pretty stringent anti-smoking laws. As the rest of Europe follows suit, the doomsayer’s arguments of anti-smoking foes, chiefly the hotel and restaurant trade unions and cigarette manufacturers / sellers, of a hefty drop in revenue and massive layoffs of personnel have resoundingly been proven erroneous…

So what will the typical Paris restaurant look like come 2007? Well for one thing, you won’t have to listen to the maître d’, either sheepishly or aggressively, make some lame excuse why allowing smoking is an expression of the French culture towards tolerance. No more need to scan the establishment trying to determine who it is fouling your air and by the same occasion spoiling your pleasure. Smokers who feel the need while dining will be required to sit in a designated enclosed area surrounded by a hermetic, ventilator-equipped booth. But why not discover for yourself this upcoming revolution in the French dining experience…

For an overview of European progress to freeing public places of cigarette smoke country by country: http://www.lexpress.fr/info/infojour/zoom.asp?id=28611


 

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