A day at Chartres
Trip Start
Aug 28, 2011
1
29
35
Trip End
Nov 24, 2011
Chartres, Centre, France
Tuesday, November 1, 2011
People go to Chartres to see the Cathedral which was built in the 12-13th centuries and was only a 10 minute walk from the station. It is famous for its stained glass windows which survived both world wars as they were removed piece by piece and put in a safe place. The front of the Cathedral has 2 different styles of towers, one was built in the 13th century and the other in the 16th century.
When I arrived there mass was being held so I climbed up the north tower. This one had a circular staircase with 300 steps which got smaller as I climbed higher. There was a nice view from the top, the town is surrounded by countryside. Back on the ground the service was finishing with some lovely organ music. The stained glass windows are impressive, very detailed and colourful. The Cathedral is undergoing some major restoration work and part of it was not accessible. You can see in the photo that the front is covered by scaffolding.
After viewing the Cathedral I set off on a walk of the old town, following a map provided by the Tourist Office. This was very impressive, its like you have gone back a couple of centuries in time. I loved the narrow windy roads lined with old wooden houses and stone bridges over the Eure River which runs through the old town.
After a late lunch in a square in the modern part of the town, I looked at the shops before coming back to Paris.
Comments
Sounds like your train trip was less stressfull than last time. I love the photos of the old town/