A medieval town called Chartres
Trip Start
Jun 25, 2008
1
7
11
Trip End
Aug 27, 2008
Chartres,
Centre,
France
Saturday, July 19, 2008
I took an AP Art History course in high school with one of my favorite teachers of all time, Mr. Trupe. It just so happens that the course is one of my favorites of all time, also. When he lectured, Mr. Trupe would always have some personal story to add about a family vacation when he was a little boy or some such thing. I made a mental note then that I had to visit Chartres, and on my third trip to Paris I finally have.
Some parts of the Cathedral, unfortunately, are being renovated and are mostly covered
Chartres Cathedral
. However, the impression the Cathedral gives is breath-taking. It's just the right size to be spectacular without being completely impersonal. It's not like the Toledo Cathedral or St. Peter's Basilica, for instance, which, while incredible, are so huge you could run a marathon in and around them. And since during World War II all of the stained glass were taken down for safekeeping, it hasn't been impoverished by copies or, worse, contemporary designs. The Cathedral offers something different on each side. It's probably thanks to the decades it took to build the thing that one can attribute the changing designs and sculptures. It's an incredible feat of Gothic architecture, and I'm glad I went even though I was all by myself. I hadn't even realized that Chartres is part of the Pilgrimage of St. James of Compostela, which ends in Santiago de Compostela, Spain. There are indications for the trail all around the town, though I can't say I saw any actual pilgrims.
Outside the Cathedral, there is a beautiful park from which you can descend down into the historic neighborhoods of the town, which line the Eure River. The Eure River actually resembles a canal. It reminded me a little of Bruges, with houses right on the river and small bridges and old churches spotted all around. It's the type of place I'd like to live in when I'm approximately seventy-five.
Chartres was a medieval town, so it still has remnants of the wall that used to protect the city from invaders. Searching for the wall is kind of like playing hide-and-seek because you have to know where to look. Or you can just walk and walk some more until you find what you're looking for
Cute town
. Also, and most importantly, I delighted in the amount of delicious pastries that I saw. There's patisserie after chocolatier after patisserie after chocolatier....and so on, to anyone's heart's delight! I tasted the best coffee I've ever tasted, in Chartres. It must not have been French Roast because it wasn't so strong as to give me a stomach ache, nor did it taste like water. It was perfection. Also, there was a lovely open market in the morning with evreything anyone would want for a feast. To my own shame, I was too embarrassed to buy the cheeses I was eyeing. I always get a tad bit flustered when I go to farmers' markets.
For anyone who wants to visit Chartres in the future, the whole city goes up in lights as soon as it darkens. I left around 5 pm, being too tired to wait until 11 pm for the sun to set, but I'm told it's magnificent.
