Guedelon Revisited

We were so fascinated by the building of a 13th century castle using 13th century techniques in the 21st century that we returned with Scott and Lovita for a second visit.  Here you will see a selection of pictures showing some of the various crafts employed in the construction.

Making/weaving rope.

Forging tools.

Lunch anyone?

Creating lumber from the local forest.  Remember that all the tools are made on site, including that ax.

Wooden shakes for the roof.

The mold for making clay tiles.

The clay is rolled into the mold.  Once it is dry it will be fired in an oven.

All the dyes, stains and paints are created by grinding and mixing  natural ingredients.

Here you see the selection of colors that are created from local materials.  You can view the paint on the walls.

A close up of materials used.

It looks like a window frame is being constructed here.  No nails, just wooden dowels.

The main living room with timbered roof, and stone walls,

 It was time to return to the United States.  We left the boat in Montargis and Wilco would bring Rabelo back to Holland once the Seine reopened.  Wilco drove us to Paris where we took the train to Amsterdam, spent the night at a hotel, and flew out the following morning.  It shouldn't have been a big deal.  We thought we had allowed plenty of time to get to the Paris train station.  Unfortunately, you can never allow enough time for driving in Paris.  We dealt with two heavily travelled streets bisecting each other…with no signal to control traffic.  There were limited signs directing us to the train station.  (At least we couldn't find them.)  Our navigation device didn't work in Paris!  Traffic was at a complete standstill.  We finally jumped out of the car in the middle of the street, grabbed our luggage, said goodbye to Wilco and dashed between cars to the train station.  We found our train, found the correct car, climbed on board with minutes to spare…and discovered there weren't enough seats!  No one told us that besides purchasing tickets in advance (which we had done) you needed assigned seats.  We all found seats, settled in and waited, and waited some more, and continued to wait.  We had been dealing with horrendous winds and rain throughout a large part of Europe.  Many plane flights had been cancelled and the high speed trains were moving more slowly than normal.  A key person needed to operate our train hadn't been able to get to the train on time.  We sat.  Eventually the personnel for the train arrived and we had a pleasant journey to Holland.  We managed to find a place for dinner and the next morning we had a smooth flight home.

This is how I spent my birthday:)

Twist and Turn

Our final guests of the season (Scott and Lovita) found themselves on the train with Captain Wilco.  That was certainly convenient for everyone.  No concerns here as to whether they would find the right town.

Scott helped with the manual locks.

Where are the Roman ruins?

We didn't find the ruins but we found corn fields.

I've included a selection of pictures showing a sample of what we encounter on our journey.

This guy was very insistent.  Where's my food?!?

I've shown this building before from a different angle.  It's amazing how it can twist and turn but still remain standing.

               

Somehow I don't believe this person is California Dreamin'.

So peaceful

So tranquil

Fontainebleau

 Fontainebleau deserves its own missive.  If you've never been there then you should make the time to visit when you are in France.  It's a treat.  We visited maybe 12 years ago and were still amazed by the size, decor, history and sheer magnitude of the palace.  I realize that Fontainebleau isn't Versailles.  BUT, it will still take you hours to view all the furnished rooms and walk the grounds.  As part of the admission price you receive an audio guide.  It is immensely helpful as you try to grasp the magnitude of the furnishings and finishings of this chateau.

The first chateau dates back to 1137 but little has survived.  The chateau was rebuilt in 1528 by Francois 1.  In the 17th century Henry IV was another great builder of the chateau.  Under Louis XV in the 18th century more was added and parts were rebuilt.  In the 19th century during the revolution the chateau was emptied of its furniture but the building was spared.  Napoleon I made it into an imperial residence which he refurnished.  In the following years areas were destroyed, replaced, demolished, rebuilt and redone.

The palace is filled with royal and imperial symbolism and its walls are hung with exquisite tapestries.

Napoleon I described Fontainebleau as "The true home of kings, the house of ages."  It was inhabited almost continuously from the 12th century until the fall of Napoleon III in 1870.  Today it is an immense palace with many courtyards and gardens and its exceptional collections make it the most fully furnished of the French royal chateaux.  The chateau de Fontainebleau is one of the largest royal residences remaining in Europe, listed by UNESCO as a World Heritage site.

Enough history for one day.  

Marty and Sara joined us in Montargis and Fontainebleau was our first field trip.

Please join us on our tour of Fontainebleau.

 I wasn't able to keep track of which room belonged to what period, designed by whom.  So many important people left their mark as they passed thru these doors.  The decor was busy, gaudy, and over the top by modern day standards.  Yet, it was and is spectacular!

Check out those walls.

Now get a load of the ceiling!  It was hard to know what to look at.  I found everything so overwhelming.

This is the Renaissance Hall of Francois I which dates from 1582.  This room inspired other royal galleries including the Hall of Mirrors at Versailles.

Every palace must have its own chapel.  This one is two stories.  We are on the upper floor here.  Notice the ceilings.

This is crown molding like I've never seen before.

It went all the way around the room.

The magnificent library which houses many volumes of books.  Each successive occupant added to the collection.

Bedroom, drawing room, sitting room, etc  Every square inch is covered.

As Tom would say "It's good to be the king."

From the gardens this is the back of the chateau.

A close up of the back of Versaille.

The French are serious about their butter.  Tom is pointing at the end of the butter section.