Today we visited Suscinio Castle, formerly a hunting lodge / show of power / crash pad for the Dukes of Brittany (not to be confused with the Dukes of Hazzard, sorry Erwan). The castle was a ruin but has been mostly rebuilt, as a result guests are provided with the opportunity to visit an amazingly intact structure very much in the state it would have been back in the 14th century.
It's interesting to note that the castle is largely unfurnished, in fact during this period it would have been very like this for most of the year. Royal and ducal courts of the day travelled throughout the summer (partly to survey their lands, partly because the castles and their latrines would start to stink after a week or so). Furniture travelled with the court, which made for very large processions and required a massive number of servants, carts and horses to move everything.
The castle had a very fun interactive exhibit upstairs where guests could dress in period-accurate clothing. Adults and kids alike enjoyed this room a lot (but I think the girls had the most fun of all). |
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| Erin and Alienor during their "bleu" period. |
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| Our friend and host Erwan. He and his wife Marie were incredibly hospitable this entire week and showed us the best of Brittany and the Breton people. |
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This is Horace, my godson. It's hard to get a photo of him without it being blurry ;-)
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| The castle walls are quite imposing and OMFG IT HAS AN ACTUAL MOAT. Not gonna lie - I did, in fact, say "squee!" |
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| The main banquet hall |
Photos near the staircase instructed visitors in the steps of the courtly "staircase dance" of the mid 14th Century. Here, I attempt to perform the steps of the dance.
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| 99.9% of the photos I took of Horace included a thorough examination of his tonsils. I'm happy to report that they're very healthy. |
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| Alienor, but not of Aquitaine. Sweet kid, clearly born in the wrong century. |
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| The always elegant, fashionable and charming Marie. |
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| Like mother, like daughter. |
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| These two hit it off very well. You'd never know they don't speak the same language. |
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| I don't take a lot of candids of Erin. This is why. BUSTED. |
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