Blogs from Chartres, Centre, France, Europe
September 10th 2011
Cathedral and Chartres So this Saturday, we went to a quaint, just-outside-of-Paris town called Chartres, where there is also a huge, ancient cathedral. There are lots of those in France... I have to say my favorite thing about this town was the tea salon where we ate lunch. I found the cutest sea-foam-green tea cup, that I swear I should've tried to buy from the women who worked there. Coffee drinks were astronomically cheaper, being outside of the city. There were lots of gift/garden type stores, and an outdoor market. (Btw, I apologize for being two weeks late on this...I had some computer problems, but everything's worked out!)... read more
August 24th 2011
Today we visited Chartres, a city about 20 kilometres from where we are staying. Our hotel is in Illiers-Combray a small rural town that has become quite famous thanks to the writings of the French essayist, Marcel Proust. The town, Illiers, was the setting for the town Combray in Proust’s book “À la recherche du temps perdu” (Remembrance of Things Past) and so the locals added Combray to the name Illiers, so we have the name Illiers-Combray. Our drive into Chartres took us to the town centre and we disappeared underground into an enormous car park that seemed to run the length of the boulevard above and two levels deep. Emerging into the square, it was quite enjoyable to sit and be entertained by two children frolicking in the fountain sculpture while we indulged in pastries. ... read more
Part 9: Near disaster and Nogent-le-Rotrou
Published: December 12th 2009Europe » France » Centre » Chartres
December 1st 2009
I was only about 40 kilometers from my destination. After hours in Parisian traffic, I finally broke loose on a wet and darkening day. Though I'd intended to take the smaller, country roads, when I saw the freeway in my direction I tightened up my ropes and bit my lip. I filled up my tank at the mid-sized town of Chartres around 4:30pm, and the wind was picking up. Filling up with my luggage isn't easy. All my things are tied together on top of the seat, and on a Vespa the gas tank is underneath the seat. That means I must balance the bike, while lifting the 80lbs of luggage, WHILE using the fuel pump. I'm pretty good at it now, but it took some practice. I still prefer to fill up prior to adding ... read more
September 8th 2009
The Wedding As everyone knows there was a lot of preparation for this wedding … dress, shoes, bag and … a hat in hatbox that met Airbus overhead cabin storage requirements! The wedding was in Brou - not far from Chartres and a 1 ½ hour drive from Paris. I was to get a lift with a member of the family - Patrick - who was also picking up 2 high-school students who had to go to school on Saturday!! (Bet you’re glad that’s not you Doug?) We found each other easily enough and set off - about 1.45pm for a 3pm wedding! I still had to press my dress … do all the other bits … and most passengers in the car had yet to tog-up for the occasion … in fact one guy was ... read more
September 8th 2009
The trip home was a much more moderate affair with speed limits observed. Patrick took some time to show me a couple of sites on the return journey. We stopped off at Chateaudun to look at this impressive building and surrounding town. The photos are more expansive than I can be. Next stop was Chartres where there seemed to be a festival on in the streets. The cathedral was in a paved pedestrian zone and backed on to the Seine. The buildings themselves absolutely reeking of history. Grounds are manicured with beautiful garden beds and well tended gravel pathways. Inside the church people mill about talking in hushed tones. The stained glass windows are very impressive. They cover an enormous expanse and seem to have a lot of details contained in them. I am told that ... read more
March 8th 2009
I have always been sort of a sucker for a conspiracy. I have always loved to read books that would indicate that perhaps things are not are they seem. This type of attitude is exactly what brought me and I am sure many other people to the French Cathedral city of Chartres. The train ride to Chartres is a very pleasant one. Although, I did leave Strasbourg a littel later than I had originally planned. Seems that everyone in Strasbourg was going to Paris and got their ticket right before me. Oh well. When I got to Paris, I arrived at Gare d' l'est. I needed to get to Montparnesse which is clear across town. SInce I have never ridden the Metro in Paris, I was afraid I might get a bit confused. But, when I ... read more
November 25th 2008
Hi All! One last entry from my TravelBlog account to let you know that I'm switching to a more sedentary blog address to write about my French adventures. Come and find me at . As you've probably noticed, I won't be blogging as JapanEms anymore...I needed to find a more appropriate globe-trotting name for myself. Unfortunately (or maybe fortunately for you), with Blogger I won't be able to send e-mail notices every time I update, but I hope you'll check out my page sometimes when you think of me. Also, I'm waiting for my recently-repaired camera to be delivered (hurry up, Mom!) so I don't have any photos posted, but hope to soon. A bientot! ... read more
October 20th 2008
I have a confession to make: I am a travel addict. I thought a trip to Japan would relieve my curiosity about life on the other side of the world, but it has only worsened my condition. I am writing from a country house in the county of Changé - not even in Chartres and too small to have been listed in the Travelblog locations list - and I am 4 days into an 11-month stint as a nanny. While my friends are home building careers and buying condos, I am on the road again, spending my savings and pedalling backwards from any notion of settling I may once have had. "What is your plan?" some people have asked. "What are you looking for?" These are very good questions for which answers have eluded me. I ... read more
October 2nd 2008
Hi everyone Well the riding continues and so does the changing weather conditions! Our last day in Alsace was stunning. We caught a train to Selestat and did a 55km ride through the Alsace Grand Cru wine region exploring many of the gorgeous villages along the way. The weather was perfect and we even got to ride in just our cycling jerseys and shorts. We tried local delicacies being 2 Alsations washed down by 2 Storkies (explanations when we get back)! Unfortunately we couldnt wine taste but did plenty at dinner time complete with choucroute (all sorts of meats and sausages with saurkraut and mustard- yummy). Attached are a couple of piccies of the days ride to make you all jealous. We managed to successfully and with minimal stress to get our bikes and selves to ... read more
September 5th 2008
Chartes was so impressive. The detail in side and out was extensive. There were many three dimensional scenes with almost life size figures. It still amazes me how artistic they were at a time we call the dark ages. I have to say that this is the church that I feel is most artistic I have ever seen.... read more
