Paris - Chartres- Amboise

Trip Start Jun 06, 2009
1
6
24
Trip End Jul 07, 2009


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Flag of France  , Centre,
Sunday, June 14, 2009

Today we woke early in order to pick up our car from Orly airport. As we were checking out at 8am, the young guys who had been out all night at the discotheque turned up singing and laughing. I can vaguely recall doing that in my youth but that is so long ago now, and I was glad not to have the hangover. When we arrived at Orly we had found that they had given us a big ugly Ford and as we prepared to leave discovered it was a manual. Having driven a manual in Europe once before we were well aware of the difficulty of having the stick in the wrong place, and while trying to concentrate on driving on the opposite side of the road, the last thing you need is to be looking for your gear stick. A quick car change and we ended up with a cute little Mercedes automatic, which was much more to our liking. For the rest of the day we have been wracking our brains to give it a name but yet nothing good has come to us, so for now it will remain nameless (feel free to offer suggestions).
Chartres Cathedral from behind
Chartres Cathedral from behind

Getting used to our GPS we discovered that at first we weren't that smart, and ended up turning off at the wrong exits several times. This required a bit of extra driving but eventually we arrived in Chartres, with its grand gothic Cathedral. We found a park by the river, locked up our luggage and then strolled through the quiet village streets. The locals were out strolling, walking their dogs or just standing and talking with their neighbours. Life seemed very relaxed and laid back. The Cathedral is definitely worth the visit, and gives a wonderful insight into the life of the people there in the Middle Ages. Whether you are religious or not, to stand in the centre of the church and to look around at all the sculpture and stained glass windows around you, you can’t help but marvel at the skill of the craftsmen who built it, and at the way that the building captures you attention.

After Chartres we drove slowly down to our next destination, Amboise, a small village in the Loire valley. We passed through some beautiful countryside, firstly fields of crops, as you would probably imagine French countryside to look. Then we drove along the Loire River, surrounded by small forests on one side and river on the other – truly picture postcard beautiful.

We reached our lovely hotel to discover half of it has been built in to a cave in the hill behind it. I suspect that is where the wine is stored as there seemed a plentiful supply of wine in their restaurant. We had a lovely meal, the whole shebang, which was not only expensive but delicious -Andre informs me we will be having a cheaper meal tomorrow :P.   The mango vodka cocktail for starters and a bottle of 2005 Red Wine (Cabernet Franc) certainly didn’t go astray either. That may explain why Andre is fast asleep next to me at the moment. After a lovely day I think I may do the same until tomorrow’s adventures.
Chartres hotels Slideshow

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