Being told not to talk/breathe during castle tour??

Author	Topic: Being told not to talk/breathe during castle tour??
hfitzger Member	posted 01-22-2004 04:28 PM I am currently doing research on medieval castles, and have a question that I cannot find an answer to... When touring chateaux in the Loire Valley in high school, I seem to remember the tour guide telling us that we were to not talk and try to hold our breath while entering a particular room in one of the castles (don't remember which one). We were told that it had something to do with the CO2 from our breath deteriorating the furnishings or the actual room or something like that. Does anybody know anything about this phenomena? Or which chateau this request is made (is this a common feature on castle tours?) Thanks!
Merlin Senior Member	posted 01-23-2004 03:19 AM No, it certainly is very uncommon. The only explanation I can think of is that this room contained very precious and fragile works (like old documents or paintings) that were not kept in a showcase. Such things can be very sensitive to sunlight and humidity - but I can also imagine that your tour-guide just said this to impress you and to underline the worth of the castles interior...
Levan Moderator	posted 01-23-2004 07:56 AM Maybe guide just wanted some peace and quiet!