He was very helpful and did more for us than we could ever have hoped. We still talk about Steve and his chateau today, how it was unquestionably the highlight of our questionably planned adventure. A charismatic man, full of enthusiasm, jokes and stories that you could listen to all day. Very friendly and energetic -he drove us all around the countryside stopping by at all the go-to places. Steve is a one of a kind - he always seems genuinely interested in what's being said, however silly it may be. We could talk about the features of the setting all day long, but with any place, especially such an indefatigably beautiful one, it is always the people who end up defining it. Words don't really do it justice, that's why … read more when we first arrived we were in a bit of a trance-like state. When the three of us first saw Steve's chateau sitting beside a viaduct on radiant little hillside we felt like we had been plunged into one of Monet's utopian landscape paintings. You have nutshelled our week with you better than I ever will - I'll try and give it a shot though. Konrad! - We hope to see you again as guest or workawayer! I am very late in writing Konrad's feedback and for that I must apologies. In short, Konrad is a great young man and I would highly recommend him to any host so fortunate as to have the opportunity to have him. ![]() I was astounded when I found out his age and had assumed by all indicators he was at least 5 years older. He planted hedges, did stone work building an outside shower, helped build forms, mix, and pour cement among other things. In addition to many other things, he was a central figure in the restoration of the chateau's … read more original well hauling by the bucket, from the depths of the 9 meter well, 20 wheelbarrow loads of black muddy mud and depositing it in a place hopefully not to be found. He was very dedicated to the projects at hand and was an absolute pleasure to be with. Konrad joined us during a time of intense outdoor work under less than comfortable conditions - like landscaping when the surface of the ground was frozen. Most significant sites are within 30 minutes. The cave paintings of Lascaux, remains of the Cro Magnon Man and so many other remarkable things. The chateau is 10 minutes from Les Ezyies, home of the new National Museum of Pre-History. This is the Perigord Noir where most of the important sites in South Western France are clustered. For instance - Castle Beynac - the strong-hold of Richard the lion-heart. While you are here we would be happy to bring you to some of the incredible castles, rivers for kayaking, or whatever your interest during your off time. In addition there are street markets in every nearby village once a week. We walk down and get vegetables as they are picked. At the foot of the hill below the Chateau sits a wonderful vegetable farm. Those with special needs diets must attend to that and we will be happy to help. We will happily provide three hearty meals a day. We are always ready to help, and pass along or teach skills.Ĭooking is a shared effort. If you join us we suggest some work cloths and the ability to work independently. There seems to be a lot to learn, and learn from, even for the very experienced. There are usually between three and eight of us outside of an occasional artisan. We are having an intensely good time working our way through the challenges of this project. Those are some of the areas of my passion and expertise. Among other things, I'm very interested in traditional building methods and skills of all kinds. My work eventually evolved to the preservation of period houses and other architecture. My background is actually rooted in the fine arts. ![]() We are working on an 16th century chateau/castle in the countryside of the Perigord Noir, part of the Dordogne region.
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