Chateau d'Urfe Revisited, 2011

This chateau in Champoly, France was built and inhabited from the 12th to the 18th centuries.
Following the French Revolution it was partially dismantled for building stones.
It is now cared for by a local preservation association.   http://www.chateaudurfe.com/

View Chateau d'Urfé; Champoly, France in a larger map

Champoly, 2011

 Champoly is on the northwestern side of the Rhone-Alpes region, in the Loire Department of France.
It is on the extreme western slope of the upper Loire valley, very near the boundary with the volcanic region of Auvergne.  It has about 300 inhabitants.

Some People of Champoly

 Lionel, below, had a party for the whole town and friends.  That means a couple of hundred people.

Fredric's father Alain came to help finish building a small home in Champoly.  Frederic and his wife come there for part of the year.

Starting the Wall at Champoly Chateau d'Urfe 2011

As in 2010, Alan and Cyane enrolled in a volunteer program through the French organization Rempart.

http://www.rempart.com/

We spent two weeks with a group of international volunteers working on the Chateau d'Urfe in Champoly.

The project for 2011 was to start construction of a large dry stone wall.

Following posts show the people who were on our Rempart Team.

Super-Formidable: Super-Great

The next seven posts or 'chapters' show the people who were on our volunteer Rempart team in Champoly, working on Chateau d'Urfe.

Maude, photo above seated lower right, with her good friends Florence. Celine, and Alan.

Maude says "Yegor, cut bread!"

Maude is usually at the center of things, below.

Le Gentil Homme: The Gentleman

 Jean has fun with other people.
Below, he is on the left with his roommates.

 Jean and Marion on an early morning walk.  The date on the monument says 1699.

 Jean gives a tour to two new arrivals,

 Jean says goodbye to his friends Marion, Alan, and Maude.

La Fete Russe: The Russians Really Know How to Party

 Poline, above and Nika, get things going and are a lively pair.

 'Nikatastrophe'

Yegor, the Cossack, below.



Les Jumeaux Enormes: The Strong 'Twins'

 Elias and Yegor may be from different countries (Tunisia and Russia), but they are kindred spirits.
They can work, and they can eat!

Les Chevallieres: The Equestrians

 Florence, of the beautiful smile and blue eyes, above.
Celine, the chanteuse, below.
Both are accomplished horse riders, among other talents.

Le Chercheur des Pierres et L'Osservateure: The Finder of Stones and The Observor

 Alan took on the task of finding good stones for the stone wall being built.

 Cyane was happy to recover from food poisoning and see her friends from Champoly, below.