How these visually impaired friends are 'travelling the world through Lego'
Natalie Dorion and Guy Christien recently built a 30,000-piece steam train
Taj Mahal, Eiffel Tower, Empire State Building and Leaning Tower of Pisa.
Just some of the iconic places of the world that have been built — in Lego form — by two visually impaired friends at an apartment complex in Windsor, Ont.
Guy Christien and Natalie Dorion have been making their own Lego dream destinations come true for about seven years.
Dorion, who's blind, says she loves where the tiny plastic bricks bring her mind.
"With the tactile experience, it's much better for me," she said.
"If I was to touch a part of it, it would just be a wall or a window or a door. But when I feel the overall tactile experience of the building, to me it's just amazing. I love Lego for that — [I'm] travelling the world through Lego, if you will."
WATCH | Check out this train built with 30,000 Lego blocks:
Dorion says it's "fascinating" to go through the development stages of building intricate projects.
"It's amazing to me that there are so many different pieces of Lego, which gives you more flexibility to create different effects and different designs in the work."
Their latest big design isn't a place, rather a way to a get to a destination of choice: a 30,000-piece steam train from the 1800s.
Christien, who's visually impaired, says the two met as neighbours in their building.
"It just started as something that we can do together," he said.
"Whatever the project is, I look it up online and see how it's designed. Then I kind of lay it out myself and then… Natalie can build up from what I like. I guide her to how to build the different layers of whatever project."
Dorion says that Lego lets her gain the knowledge of what a building in another country looks like, or how something like a train is structured.
"I think it's really cool to be able to visit these things through Lego buildings… to get a feel for it as I do. It's something that it's fun to talk about as well. I've learned a lot through Guy… and we are able to create all these fun things and we love it."
With limited space and Lego, the intricate and massive projects do have an expiration. Eventually they get torn down so another build can begin.
"Most of our projects, we just keep them in our apartments. We build them up and show them around. We invite our friends to come see them. We build a big project, then we tear it down, build a new one," said Christien.
Dorion says she loves the teardown process and finds it relaxing while she's in front of the television or listening to a book.
"I take all the pieces, the roof tiles and put them all in a container and then I sort through those... We have two bins for tiles and then I sort out the different pieces according to shape," she says.
"They all have their separate totes and I put those all in there and separate them and put them all in the boxes."
The giant train will probably come down next week, they said.
Their next project will also more than likely be another means of transportation. Discussions are heating up around a classic Ford Model T car, according to the two friends.
With files from Michael Hargreaves, Jacob Barker and Bob Becken