Friday, July 11: France, Chartres

Lots of white cows in this part of France

We took a day off from sightseeing to get some errands done and just relax. This morning we headed East across the farmlands of France through ancient villages and a few more modern towns to Chartres, about an hour southeast of Paris. 

Just a little farmhouse we passed on the way

We got to our campground late in the afternoon, took naps, had a few snacks and walked the 2 miles into the city around 7:30 to see the famous Cathedral lit up at night. 

Typical village we passed through

Interesting Door Knocker...

 We walked along a path next to the river through a park and eventually into the city where we just followed the “spires.” Of course, the church was built upon one of the highest points in the city, so that meant more stairs... I did catch a couple photos of the hydrangeas I have been admiring, but the photos did not pick up the colors as vividly as they appear in real life.  

More stairs.

We toured inside the church known for its original (13^th and 15^th centuries) stained glass windows using a lot of gorgeous blue – now called Chartres Blue. The sun was low in the sky, so the photos do not do justice to the intensity of the colors. Also in this church is the veil that Mary wore while giving birth to Jesus.  

We stopped at an outdoor cafe for a pizza dinner and once it got dark, the light display began. We took a mini-train tour of the city that gave its history (all in French – can you believe that?) and stopped at all the most important illuminated buildings. Forget what you have thought about illuminated buildings ….these were choreographed to music, told stories, some religious, some comical. They lit churches, the opera house, other unknown buildings and the walls and bridges along the river that runs through the city. 

The two mile walk in the dark at midnight did not sound appealing, so we walked down to the train station and caught a taxi back to the campground.

Absolutely tremendous display and well worth staying up past midnight. There is much more to do here in Chartres, but I booked a campground in advance for Paris to ensure we would have a spot right in the city for Bastille Day – the French equivalent of our 4^th of July.