Chateau Guillaume

Chateau Guillaume: "Castles in France:

 Last May we visited Chateau Guillaume during a special day called Journee du Patrimoine. The Journees du Patrimoine are held twice a year, in May and in September. It lasts two days during which castles, museums, churches and gardens are open to the public free of charge. The program aims to be an incentive to visit and discover the area.

Last May there were 73 sites open to the public in the region, plus 13 concerts offered free of charge in historical buildings.

 If you are planning to visit Chateau Guillaume free of charge, you would need to go during one of the journees de patrimoine. 
Otherwise, the chateau is open for a small fee from June to September from 2pm to 6pm. 

For more information and group visits you can call 0033 254 25 62 81

If you want to read more about Chateau Guillaume and see more photos before you visit, I suggest you visit this site where I wrote about our family visit, with loads of photos of Chateau Guillaume.

Another good time to visit Chateau Guillaume would be during the local festivities the last Sunday of July.  During the Saint Christophe festivities you can enjoy a little brocante (antique outdoor market), a small parade and a fair.

Also a good time to visit is during the “Fête de château Guillaume” the first Sunday of October and near Christmas time when  there is a Christmas market where you can find local produce.  

Chateau Guillaume

For more information about family holidays in France click here

Laser eye surgery in France

France has excellent medical care and the World Health Organisation rated it as number 1 out of the 196 countries it accredited. If you are considering having laser eye surgery in France, then many of the same rules that apply in the UK also apply in France. As is the same in the UK, there are 2 main types of laser eye surgery and they are Lasik and Lasek (also called PRK). 

Lasik is likely to be your first choice as the recovery period is quicker and more comfortable. As well as this, you will be offered two additional treatment options which are:

• Intralase  and 
• Wavefront (also called custom-laser eye surgery). 

Intralase is a type of Lasik and it has slightly fewer complications. It is also a bladeless procedure which appeals to the more squeamish people amongst us! 

The following are things you should consider when choosing your clinic and surgeon:

• Ensure your surgeon is a qualified surgeon who had undergone the full 11 years training.

• Ensure your surgeon is registered with the French Medical Council.

• Check your surgeon has a low complication rate. Complication rates should be less than 1%.

• Check to see what percentage of the surgeon’s patients achieve 20:20 vision. The higher the better and you should expect it to be over 90%.

• Make sure you have a good rapport with your surgeon and that you feel comfortable with them carrying out your treatment. You need to be able to ask them questions if you are unsure or uncomfortable about any part of the procedure.

• Depending on the size of the clinic, your laser eye surgery consultation may or may not be carried out by the actual surgeon. If you are considering a smaller independent clinic then you are more likely to be seen by the actual surgeon. The larger multiple chains often employ an optician to do your initial checks.

• Check you clinic is fully accredited by the Autorité de Santé (French Health Authority).

 If you are a Brit living in France then you may feel more comfortable using a clinic that was founded in the UK. Optical express are a company that you could consider as they have clinics throughout France and the rest of Europe. The most important thing when it comes to choosing where to have laser eye surgery is to go with your instinct. If it feels like the right clinic and surgeon for you then the chances are it is! 

If you would like to read more about laser eye surgery you could visit Treatmentsaver.com

If you would like to know more about Laser eye surgery you can read this interview with an optometrist and specialist in laser eye surgery to have all your questions about laser eye surgery answered.