Last week I visited this Viking Village with the adults in my English class. The Vikings were in Normandy as early as 911 A.D. This site was created in 2011. It's a 10 minute drive from our place and I've always wanted to go, so enjoyed the tour, which was in English. Here are some highlights.
Here's the link if you'd like to see more, the site is available in English.
https://www.ornavik.fr/
There are two parts to the park. The Viking/Scandinavian part as seen below.
Our tour guide explaing some tools from the time period.
These structures are based on Norwegian structures from the same time period.
All of the structures/homes below are from the second part of the park. The Carolingian area @ the 10th century. All of these structures are based on ruins found very near the actual site today.
Cobb and thatched roof house with dry stone walls....
The wool being combed and dyed...
Below is a kiln that the volunteers have just finished building.
They will be firing ceramic roof tiles to be used in the partially constructed church which is the low stone wall in the picture to the left.
The little house below was pretty cool. They said that there was no chimney in this type of thatched roof home. The smoke from the inside fire was a means of repelling insects and disinfecting the inside of the home. They still burn a fire every week for maintenance purposes.
This is the carpenter's workshop.
The guide is showing us how they cut wooden roof tiles/shingles.
The stone mason's workshop....
Here's the beginning of the future church.
Just awaiting warmer weather (the parc is now closed for the season) and those roof tiles.
This last picture is basically a "poor man's castle".
What a nobleman, but not a King, would build as a defense structure.
It was a good discovery and cool visit.
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