Monty the Motorhome is busy practicing his French. The site at Chartres has thinned out a bit, but there are still plenty of vans about.
Today we walked back into the town along the same path that we took yesterday evening. Though this time it wasn’t quite as scary, as I neglected to mention in yesterday’s post that the journey back was along deserted paths, with the final section through an unlit woodland where earlier we had seen some unsavoury looking characters. Anyway we lived to tell the tale - albeit belatedly.
Chartres is all about the cathedral. It absolutely dominates the town and has been described as one of the world’s most astounding buildings. Built between 1154 and 1260 it has survived virtually intact through medieval and Napoleonic upheavals, as well as two World Wars. The two main attractions are the intricate stone carvings, both inside and outside the building, as well as spectacular stained glass, most of which dates back to the thirteenth century.
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| One of three 'rose' windows in the Cathedral |
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| Stone carvings surround the choir cloister. Forty scenes depict the life of Jesus and were carved over a period of two hundred years |
We hired an audio tour that gave quite a detailed scripture lesson on the history and architecture, but was well worth it. However for me the highlight was just standing in the centre nave and experiencing the peace and tranquility that is generated by the huge open transepts.
Three hours later we emerged and sought out a small cafe for lunch, before looking around the rest of the town. Small alleyways and intimate streets mix with modern shopping areas and busy squares. Interesting, but not spectacular. Chartres would not be on the tourist map without the cathedral.
Back at the van it was a light salad for tea, followed by a bit of debate about where to go tomorrow. The weather forecast indicates rainy weather coming in soon and no matter where we look in France it seems the same.
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