{"id":2437,"date":"2012-06-10T23:55:25","date_gmt":"2012-06-11T05:55:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/worldwanderlusting.com\/?p=2437"},"modified":"2012-10-09T09:50:52","modified_gmt":"2012-10-09T15:50:52","slug":"a-thirteenth-century-castle-in-the-making","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/worldwanderlusting.com\/?p=2437","title":{"rendered":"A Thirteenth-Century-Castle in the Making"},"content":{"rendered":"

I was once asked which, of all the super powers, I would choose… if given the opportunity.<\/p>\n

I didn’t hesitate in my response: “Time travel. Nothing would be more transformative or educational than to skip back through time for\u00a0history lessons, or into the future for a hint of what\u2019s to come. I could correct past errors and foresee\u00a0future mistakes. I would meet the interesting and influential people and witness the great events\u00a0throughout the ages.”<\/p>\n

I can’t tell you how often I’ve stood in marvelous places with wonder and awe of how they came to be. \u00a0In my mind’s eye, I’m taken back to a former time… a time before motors and modern tools… a time wherein methodology trumped technology, and clever contraptions quenched\u00a0quandaries.<\/p>\n

If only I could experience what it was like to live in that time, to witness with incredulity the erection of monumental buildings, and moments which have shaped history and humanity alike.<\/p>\n

Ahhh… but there is. \u00a0At some point, WorldWanderlusting will debut a series of Living History museums which will provide exactly that kind of experience. \u00a0For now you’ll have a taste as we show you what’s happening at the Chantier Medieval de Guedelon<\/a>, just two hours from Paris, France.<\/p>\n

“In the heart of Puisaye, in Yonne, Burgundy, a team of fifty people have taken on an extraordinary feat:\u00a0to build a castle using the same techniques and materials used in the Middle Ages.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

The wood, stone, earth, sand and clay needed for the castle’s construction are all to be found here, in this abandoned quarry. Watched by thousands of visitors, all the trades associated with castle-building\u00a0– quarrymen, stonemasons, woodcutters, carpenters, blacksmiths, tile makers, basket makers, rope makers, carters and their horses – are all working together to complete the castle.<\/em>”<\/p>\n

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Photo Courtesy www.guedelon.fr<\/p><\/div>\n

I am ashamed that I know this place only by photos. \u00a0My only visit to France in the past five years was a 7-hour stopover en route to Amsterdam, en route to Tanzania. \u00a0It barely allowed for the Eiffel Tower, Notre Dame, Louvre trifecta. \u00a0I have, however, avidly tracked the progress via the multimedia profusion on the Guedelon website and facebook page<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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Photo Courtesy www.guedelon.fr<\/p><\/div>\n

Of particular intrigue was the documentation of the groin-arch-construction, something at which I’ve gaped more than once in more than a few spectacular buildings.<\/p>\n

Masons cut no corners as every tool they use is “of the era” and fashioned on site. \u00a0These are not actors on stage, these are artisans at work. \u00a0Even their clothing is authentic.<\/p>\n

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The team, or various versions of it, has been at work since 1997, when all that existed of the project was a dream in the mind of Michel Guyot. \u00a0For 15 years, they have toiled in an effort which likely pales in comparison to many of those of its time, yet still inspires a sense of amazement that none of us will fully grasp until we get there in person… and please, please let it be soon.<\/p>\n

If I go by their timeline<\/a>, I have to be nervous because not really much remains relative to where they were when it began. \u00a0This project has to be nearing 80-90% completion, so time is really running out.<\/p>\n

I could go on and on, but for me to try to do so simply would not do it justice. \u00a0Your only hope is to engage the project yourself, see what they’re doing, and plan your visit. \u00a0I can’t even believe that the charge to partake in this slice of history is a mere ten euros… and with the euro crashing, it’s time for me to get serious. \u00a0Here are just a few more quick links to get you inspired to see this masterpiece while it’s still under construction.<\/p>\n