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Post by overcastcrystal17 on Jul 13, 2012 21:58:27 GMT -5
We need more castles, there are a ton of them all accross Europe, and they are bloody amazing! Who needs a bloody alarm system if you live in an impenitrible castl;e in the middle of nowhere. It would be so fun to live in a castle: exploring the secret passageways, sleeping in your dream room, living everyday to the fullest. I am sure the student of Hogwarts would agree that living in a casle is one of the coolest things ever. We need more castles.
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Post by Ithiarel on Jul 14, 2012 4:39:03 GMT -5
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Post by Kitty279 on Jul 14, 2012 8:48:28 GMT -5
But only if you improve the heating a very good deal  |
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Post by Ithiarel on Jul 14, 2012 8:55:23 GMT -5
And if you can wait a few decades for it to be finished. ;D
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Post by Kitty279 on Jul 14, 2012 8:59:26 GMT -5
*snicker* True, these castles aren't exactly cheap to buy. And every time the government changes, they'd change the building plans as well ... and all that takes so much time to get through the red tape ...
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Post by G. Novella on Jul 14, 2012 9:07:24 GMT -5
Plus, when I build my castle, I need a lot of money to do it, so I need to work a bit more. Not to mention I don't plan to let builders walk away with the plans, so I'll need to ensure they can't tell anyone of the secret chambers.
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Post by Kitty279 on Jul 14, 2012 9:08:50 GMT -5
Reminds me of that Chinese Emperor who built the terracotta army and killed the workers so they couldn't tell anyone what he had built ... *eyes gnovella warily*
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Post by G. Novella on Jul 14, 2012 9:23:30 GMT -5
*Grins widely at Kitty*
And look how successful he was, until today, they have yet to figure out the entire thing. But the mercury rivers part sounds intensely amazing. Problem is that it can kill...
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Post by Ithiarel on Jul 14, 2012 9:52:11 GMT -5
Aside from money and plans, you'll need time.
Think about it.
If you build a castle, you want to do it right, yes? So that it will still be standing in a few hundred years (at least as a recognizable ruin). So, you have to use the original materials, which means you have to go back to medieval building techniques - because modern techniques won't work well on the original materials. Some of those techniques you will actually have to relearn, because they've been forgotten over the last centuries...
You might be able to save some time by using moderns ways of transportation, but you'll still need hundreds of workers fitting the heavy stones for the walls together by hand (otherwise they won't fit right, because you shouldn't use mortar - it destroys the stones over time).
So, even with enough money and the right plans, you'll probably still need at least 10 years to build it.
If you don't have enough workers... well... the Castle Guedelon from the link I posted earlier will have an overall building time of over 60 years !
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Post by readingwizard4 on Jul 14, 2012 13:44:39 GMT -5
I'd like to live in a castle that was up to date technology wise or like at Hogwarts. That would be a great castle to explore
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Post by overcastcrystal17 on Jul 14, 2012 16:59:55 GMT -5
Tis my dream to live in a castle, and it shall be my only true home, even if I never get to live in it. It's just a shame that there aren't more just around. I would much rather find my castle than build it because I have no confidence that it would get done while I am still alive. I guess I can only access it with my imagination. I used to dream of it, but now even my dreams have turned against me.
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Post by Kitty279 on Jul 15, 2012 0:58:09 GMT -5
After being on a tour through castles along the Loire only recently, I can understand the fascination. With modern day appliances like proper heating, good electric light, internet and all that it could be fun - as long as you have enough staff to keep it clean. Imagine having to clean a castle with 100 rooms! (Chambord has over 400!) So, you need at least a house-elf or two  |
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Post by RogueNya on Jul 15, 2012 2:25:50 GMT -5
Now you have me wanting to build one to live in.
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Post by Kitty279 on Jul 15, 2012 2:56:44 GMT -5
We could get together and see if we can work something out that we all agree on. When we team up, we might have the money - and maybe we can get it finished during our lifetime |
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Post by RogueNya on Jul 15, 2012 4:36:35 GMT -5
lol
I wonder if more Modern Building Materials could be used and still have the same feel as well as last as long if not longer.
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Post by Kitty279 on Jul 15, 2012 6:08:13 GMT -5
To be fair, many old castles have been torn down and rebuilt more than once, or at least parts of them. That one exists since, say, 1000 years doesn't mean all of it is that old.
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Post by Ithiarel on Jul 15, 2012 7:02:37 GMT -5
While I wouldn't mind living in a castle:  I wouldn't want to live in a castle:  Note: English is a horrible language to make my point. The first picture is a "Schloss" (i.e. a castle in the sense of a magnificent mansion). The second picture shows a "Burg" (castle in the sense of a medieval fortified castle). Let's please, clear up what everyone is talking about. Because I think we're all talking about different things.  |
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Post by Kitty279 on Jul 15, 2012 7:59:48 GMT -5
Yeah, noticed the problem to distinguish these in English, too  On our castle tour along the Loire I happened onto an explanation that might describe what you mean: The older ones were all fortresses, constructed for defense and protection, and sometimes remodelled to give them a more elegant feel, but they can't deny their origin. They are usually built on top of a hill or rock and that makes it necessary to model their form to the ground they are standing on. The newer ones were built to represent in the first place, not for war purposes, so they are less fortified, and more ... how to put it? Embellished? And they are on flat ground, allowing them to be built to please the eye. Out of the castles we saw, the most fortified and less pleasant for the eye was probably Langeais: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Langeais4497.jpgThe other end of the spectrum would be Chenonceau en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Chateau_de_Chenonceau_2008E.jpg and Chambord en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:France_Loir-et-Cher_Chambord_Chateau_03.jpg. |
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Post by physicssquid on Jul 15, 2012 8:16:16 GMT -5
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Post by Kitty279 on Jul 15, 2012 8:42:03 GMT -5
Ha, you were there, too? Yay! And I know Blois, Amboise and Azay-le-Rideau, too! Only Chaumont we didn't visit, but then, we had only five days, and the first day it was already a 900 km drive to Orléans and the last 600 back from Troyes. Was there last month and really enjoyed it. We visited Amboise, Chenonceau, Blois (where we stayed two nights) in one day, the next Villandry, Langeais, Fontevraud and Azay-le-Rideau, and the next day we visited Chambord. On the way between the four in the middle day, we had a short stop in Ussé, too. Blois is a good example of a castle built in different times and on a rock dictating the form, isn't it? And did you see the dragon show in the neighbouring Maison de la Magic? I was rather amused by it. Out of the castles we saw, I'd say Chenonceau was the most beautiful if you put place, architecture and interieur together. The most impressive was Chambord with that fascinating staircase and all these towers and turrets. Not to mention that it's the first one where we could walk around on the roof  Then, if you go by garden, who can beat Villandry? Oh, as for Langeais, it's nice, but what you get to see is mostly some sort of tower - you go up a spiral staircase with two rooms on each floor, and it's very dark in there. To be able to read these sheets with explanations, I had to go to the windows or door and staircase. That was a bit annoying. |
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Post by Ithiarel on Jul 15, 2012 10:55:55 GMT -5
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Post by overcastcrystal17 on Jul 16, 2012 22:56:22 GMT -5
I would love a castle and if I could have one I would be living in it right now, even if I didn't have house elves or people to help me, it would be way better than living here, but I NEED a pool, but that doesn't just happen, especially in America. I mean, there is a castle up northeast by some Lake that I can't remember, but why aren't there more just around, like in Europe. Total dream, yes, and though I've never been out of the state, let alone to Europe to see a real castle, you should be able to live your dream, not have it totally inaccessible.
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Post by Kitty279 on Jul 17, 2012 0:10:12 GMT -5
Ithiarel, some of these look really nice. Less ... bragging ... than these we saw in France, but that's not necessarily bad, right? Can I have Aurich, please, but with the meadows of Rastede around for the ponies? Or at least Rastede? |
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Post by Ithiarel on Jul 17, 2012 10:31:34 GMT -5
Personally, I like those small castles better, too.
It's just that... well... they feel as if there really were generations of people who lived in them, you know?
I prefer authenticity over pompousness - and while there are some really magnificent castles out there, most of them feel somehow fake to me - as if no one ever actually lived there, and they were only built to impress others...
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Post by Kitty279 on Jul 17, 2012 10:37:35 GMT -5
But most of them *were* built to impress. And they are impressive, no doubt, but I'd probably not call them comfy.
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Post by dracosfairmaiden on Jul 17, 2012 18:10:13 GMT -5
Of course I live in America so we don't have castles here. Castles are so beautiful. |
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Post by physicssquid on Jul 17, 2012 18:42:16 GMT -5
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Post by overcastcrystal17 on Sept 11, 2012 10:11:34 GMT -5
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