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Post by kerouac2 on Sept 13, 2017 14:21:09 GMT
Maybe it should be the location of the next meet-up. We could charter a bus.
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Post by fumobici on Sept 13, 2017 15:50:37 GMT
Excellent report! I am fascinated by this project and how it must involving the relearning of all sorts of hard-won lessons, long since forgotten. Plus, it makes for some quite picturesque scenes.
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Post by onlyMark on Sept 13, 2017 18:28:22 GMT
So, just finished watching the series mentioned by Patrick. Five episodes and every one very informative. I've definitely learnt some new building techniques as well as other things like making clothes dye and gingerbread. One episode mentioned about the water mill and getting it working.
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Post by questa on Sept 13, 2017 23:59:25 GMT
Nails were not made by the usual smith (blacksmith) but by a nailsmith, male or female. The job called for more dexterity and less brute force. The surname "Naismith" came from this occupation.
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Post by tod2 on Nov 17, 2017 6:38:12 GMT
Came across your wonderful photos this morning! This is definitely worth a visit next year when we descend once more on Paris. It would be nice to make a day of it. Thank you very much for the link for more information.
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Post by lugg on Nov 17, 2017 19:04:01 GMT
Really enjoyed this report, thank you . What an fascinating and unusual project but so worthwhile to maintain and re-learn these skills. I appreciated the English signage despite the lack of UK visitors maybe/ do you think it needs more promotion to tourists ?
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Post by breeze on Dec 4, 2017 16:19:33 GMT
Fascinating. Your report got us watching the BBC series, which was full of information for us armchair castle-builders.
The intro to each program says that there are few British castles surviving from this period, and I wonder whether that's true and if so, why?
Personally, I no longer want to climb any stone towers, especially where the uneven steps tilt toward the center opening. I'm so glad that drones were invented so I can get the view from on high while seated on my couch.
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Post by kerouac2 on Jul 29, 2018 12:05:30 GMT
I was really curious about any differences after a year, so I went back to Guédelon yesterday. Okay, it's only been ten months since my first visit. I was expecting an absolutely sweltering day, but it had rained in Burgundy, too, and apparently just as violently as in Paris in a few places, because some of the little roads were covered with ripped leaves, and others were not, so the storms were patchy. You have to take quite a few small roads to get to Guédelon, and even though it gets 300,000 visitors a year, there are really not that many signs pointing the way. But I gave myself tons of time to get there and I was actually there an hour before opening time. Not only that, I was the very first car in the lot, but that didn't last for long. A few cars and camper vans began to appear within 15 minutes, and then it was a steady flow. Hah, but I had the very best parking spot! Anyway, the weather turned out to be delightful -- about 25° by mid-morning.
Here is a change I noticed from last year. This is a new sign, and I'm sure that it was very necessary. Meanwhile, I was happy that people can take their dogs there. Not many places where you can do that.
s19.postimg.cc/i2vkc8a77/Guédelon_2018_002.jpg
There were at most 100 people at the 10 a.m. opening time but there were a few thousand later on. It never gets crowded, but there are quite a few guided tour groups that one needs to skirt.
s19.postimg.cc/4lyltaupv/Guédelon_2018_003.jpg
You'll have to compare some of the older photos to the new ones to see the progress. I just went through them, and there has been quite a bit of progress in certain areas.
s19.postimg.cc/qxwemp1jn/Guédelon_2018_004.jpg
s19.postimg.cc/6106i0o37/Guédelon_2018_005.jpg
s19.postimg.cc/i2vkc5hw3/Guédelon_2018_006.jpg
s19.postimg.cc/mc0aebsv7/Guédelon_2018_007.jpg
Many of the stones are quarried right next to the château.
s19.postimg.cc/6drko9bir/Guédelon_2018_008.jpg
s19.postimg.cc/juoj746er/Guédelon_2018_009.jpg
I overheard a tour guide saying that the main tower has not been touched for a couple of years while the other stuff progresses. She even admitted that there is a hidden roof inside to protect what has been done from the elements.
s19.postimg.cc/8v3bvhder/Guédelon_2018_010.jpg
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Post by kerouac2 on Jul 29, 2018 12:18:52 GMT
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Post by kerouac2 on Jul 29, 2018 12:28:04 GMT
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Post by lagatta on Jul 29, 2018 14:55:59 GMT
I do hope that hemp production gets started up again on a large scale. Other than strong rope, it can make beautiful, long-lasting garments.
A frivolous question - is there a restaurant or café onsite?
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Post by kerouac2 on Jul 29, 2018 15:22:45 GMT
Yes, I had lunch there. Obviously it is quite rustic and extremely ecological. The knives and forks are made out of wood, and obviously there are no plastic straws. I had a pasta salad in a Mason-like jar.
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Post by lagatta on Jul 29, 2018 15:51:01 GMT
I hate the fad for serving salads etc in preserving jars... I like tempered glass (though of course it didn't exist back then) but prefer a "normal" bowl or soup plate (assiette creuse).
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Post by kerouac2 on Jul 29, 2018 16:15:34 GMT
I don't like it either, but I suppose that we must accept that new generations want to try (what they think are) new presentations. Probably, Guédelon has well hidden super modern dishwashers so they don't even have to worry about how inconvenient it is to wash out a Mason jar with salad residue. I confess that I bought a couple of such items at Hema, but they were presented as cocktail containers. I approved of the idea mostly because I think that cocktails are much better when they are bigger, otherwise why bother? I think I might have used them twice in three years.
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Post by kerouac2 on Jul 29, 2018 16:24:38 GMT
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Post by kerouac2 on Jul 29, 2018 16:34:44 GMT
I enjoyed my visit again, but I don't think I will return for a certain amount of time. Already, this second visit was not as "magical" as the first time because there was no element of surprise. Also, I did not visit the mill stream and its water wheel, because it was already posted that it was not in operation even though the miller was there and would be happy to reply to all questions. It wasn't working during my first visit either. I need to go there during the rainy season! Naturally, if any Anyporter is coming to France and would like to see Guédelon, I will be thrilled to take them there.
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Post by fumobici on Jul 29, 2018 21:39:29 GMT
I do hope that hemp production gets started up again on a large scale. Other than strong rope, it can make beautiful, long-lasting garments. They grow tons of hemp in France and have for years. Quite a lot is grown in Canada too on the prairies—the US is too just now getting back into it. This is a worthy update to an interesting and pretty report. One frequently see restoration work being done on ancient structures in Italy, but they aren't trying to be retro about how they go about it. Nevertheless, masonry is similar now to then I'll guess and Italy, where people use a lot of really old buildings, is flush with talented masons. France I'm sure has its share as well but in Southern France at least, the banners on the scaffolds of stone building renovation work usually had very Italian names on them.
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Post by bixaorellana on Jul 29, 2018 22:51:12 GMT
Most interesting! Glad you went back there, although I have to adjust my modern expectations about how long a project should take. It occurs to me that the number of people working on this one are far fewer than there would have been on the same sort of site back in the medieval period. That does make the progress here all the more impressive, but I'd be curious to know approximately how many medieval workers there would have been. It must have been a whole community, with support industries -- cooking, laundry, shops -- galore for the hundreds of workers I'm guessing there were. I liked the fact that women were doing some of the hard work this time. Perhaps an anachronism ... Don't the workers on this project have to have backgrounds in something related to that period of history? If so, a number of the workers would be women and it's probably an "all hands on deck" situation there. Besides that, historically the further down the social ladder women were, the more plain grunt physical labor they had to do, something still to be seen in developing countries. Really wonderful photos, each one interesting in itself and all of them telling a story.
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Post by mich64 on Jul 30, 2018 22:49:10 GMT
My kind of day! This sort of project would intrigue me all day long and I would probably visit year after year.
(now on my list of future holiday ideas)
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Post by breeze on Jul 31, 2018 0:07:48 GMT
My husband read this and suggested we add Guedelon to our September trip, so I'm trying to find the trifecta--a really nice B&B, places for walking, and a good restaurant or two for lunch in that area.
I've added Briare, thank you kerouac, and Colette's house which looks adorable, as well as Saint Fargeau. Looking for more suggestions.
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Post by kerouac2 on Jul 31, 2018 2:52:53 GMT
I think that most people who want to spend a night in the area of Guédelon stay in Saint Fargeau. I spent the night at the Ibis Styles in Gien. It is on the outskirts of town near a hypermarket so no good for walking around. On the upside, it is a former Novotel so it actually has a swimming pool.
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Post by kerouac2 on Aug 4, 2020 14:40:05 GMT
I am really having an urge to return to Guédelon after two years, but I am afraid that it might be depressing with masks. Back in those days, the risk of dying of the plague was completely normal, and even if it was not the correct attitude, I am not in the mood for major anachronisms. Maybe next year?
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Post by tod2 on Aug 4, 2020 16:18:51 GMT
Since 2017 when you first went there I subscribed to their website and have been receiving the latest on what's going on……except I can only look at the pictures as my French is almost (not quite) non-existent!
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Post by kerouac2 on Aug 4, 2020 16:46:07 GMT
You probably know more than I do, then!
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Post by kerouac2 on Aug 4, 2020 16:58:13 GMT
I didn't even know there were a series of YouTube videos explaining (with English subtitles) each little element of their work.
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Post by tod2 on Aug 5, 2020 12:46:45 GMT
Kerouac I must own up and tell you that I did not look through Every news letter they sent and as I can't read about it, I can't say I'm up-to-date on the changes. I hope you do a visit sometime in the coming year as your report will be the best update.
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Post by kerouac2 on Jul 14, 2022 15:33:37 GMT
Okay, after a 4 year lapse, I returned to Guédelon yesterday. Two years were not my fault of course -- covid. This summer, Guédelon is running a weekly bus from Paris, and this seemed like the perfect solution. Car rental and petrol have become outrageous, and I was never a fan of the drive from Paris anyway. Even though a lot of it is on the autoroute, easy and boring, the last third is on tiny roads in the middle of nowhere. It was a relief not to have to drive there. Departure from Paris was at 08:00, and we arrived at 10:40, which was better than the estimated time of 11:00. Unfortunately, the weather forecast was for one of the hottest days of July. I took my hat, some some block and water. The Bercy bus station is an underground concrete cavern. It was boiling down there. The bus was smaller than expected, which was great.
This was the first scheduled trip, and there were only 12 people on this day. The driver was the only person wearing a mask.
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Post by kerouac2 on Jul 14, 2022 15:39:19 GMT
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Post by kerouac2 on Jul 14, 2022 15:42:44 GMT
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Post by kerouac2 on Jul 14, 2022 16:01:16 GMT
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