City of Blinding Lights

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From Tours we drive north to the city of Chartres. On the way we stop off for lunch at Vendome which is a very pleasant town on the confluence of 3 rivers and home to a huge abbey. Though a small town today Vendome was for centuries a major centre in this area.

In Chartres it is all about the cathedral. This is one of the most impressive gothic buildings in the world and draws huge numbers of visitors both to see the famous towers which are different (!) but also the interior particularly the blue stained glass windows and the labyrinth on the floor of the nave.

We see the city during the day but come again at night as the town runs an impressive light show every night starting at dusk. When we're here it doesn't begin until 10:30pm but then runs for most of the night. The light show on the south face of the cathedral is certainly the most impressive but there are over 20 other sites illuminated. The St Pierre church looks better at night than during the day and the lights on the bridges are far better than my pictures suggest.

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Photos

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Vendome Abbey

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Vendome Abbey west entrance

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Door at Vendome Abbey

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Vendome

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Chartres cathedral west face

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cathedral labyrinth

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Chartres stained glass window

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Chartres cathedral clock

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Chartres cathedral choir wall

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Chartres cathedral

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Chartres river