Chateau

Chateau de Chillon

This is a medieval castle. It was used to house prisoners. Long before the Geneva Convention folks did rather dastardly things to their prisoners. Torture and death were a part of life in those days. The Chateau is build on a bed of rock some hundred feet above lake Geneva. The depth of the water is over 200 feet right below the window where they would shove the dead or dying out of the dungeon. The Chateau is best known by the poem Lord Byron wrote.

The castle was built in the 17th century

It was not only a place for the army but also a dungeon was located on the ground floor

If you were a poor performer -- like you spilled your milk at dinner -- off went your head!

Fresco on the walls of the room of worship

Religious fresco

The dinning room was large enough for dancing after desert

It gave me an eerie feeling looking out one of the windows.

Some of the walls were polished quarts, ceilings were wood.

Fireplace hood

Notice the sides of the bed, this was a family bed and may have had 5 - mom, dad and 3 kids. It looks small but the length is 6feet. The folks in the 17th century were not near the size of we Americans today.

We always see one of these in medieval buildings. They started a fire in these contraptions for heat.

This is a crossbow. It was an advanced weapon, far better than a bow and arrow. Able to not only shoot many yards farther but also with greater accuracy.

Of course you needed all types of weapons. Some were used to stab, others to hook an enemy rider to unhorse him. Bears were fierce animals. They were often hunted for food but you also need a weapon for defense.