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Published: September 19th 2022
Light Show on the Cathedral
Just a sample that doesn’t do this moving spectacular justice.Last night after posting the blog, I returned to the Cathedral with Tim to check out the annual - lucky timing for us - light show, this year featuring the Museum of Chartres, and the front and side of the Cathedral. It was about 11pm, freezing cold, but I would not have missed it for anything. It’s difficult to tell from still photos, but it changed themes and scenes about 4 times. Our favourite was a depiction of workmen abseiling from the top of the spires and walls, and building the cathedral from the ground up, finishing with a splash of colour. I’ve never seen anything like it.
Today is easy. We have to be out of our apartment by 11am, we’ll have croissants and a few coffees for breakfast - that’s me anyway - and drive to the cathedral for a look, crepes for lunch, and we’ll hit the road.
And that’s exactly how it happened with barely a hitch.
Most places you rent have a pod coffee machine with the pods supplied, so after a walk downhill to the local patisserie, we had the makings of a sweet, decadent breakfast.
We stayed in
the old town, and our building was Saint-Julian Chapel, of the former Hospice of the Twentysix Blind People, started elsewhere in 1291 by Renaud Barbou, an adviser to Philippe the Beautiful . It was transferred to this place after its destruction in the Siege of 1566.
Most of Chartres old town narrow cobblestone streets are definitely one way, and any vehicle bigger than today’s smallest would have to choose their route carefully.
The Cathedral is a short, steep walk up the hill, and sits at the highest point of the town. Surrounding it are medieval residential buildings and a retail district with commercial buildings, restaurants, and cafés. A prestigious stained glass school is located nearby, as Chartres is a centre for fine glasswork in France.
The Cathedral is a mixture of gothic and renaissance architecture, and features, naturally enough, intricate stained glass windows, and a series of sculptured scenes, circling the back of the alter, created by various artists from the 15th and 16th centuries. They depict important moments in the life of Christ and are a delicate, white collage of beautiful art.
The Church is rumoured to have a section of Mary’s veil she wore
when Jesus was born, and while it has been recognised as original cloth from the period and type worn in the times, I am sceptical . Either way, I thought the Cathedral was one of those places that was peaceful and had a spiritual feel to it. I’m not a church goer at home, but I found comfort in joining fellow pilgrims at mass on the Camino, and often you were given a special mention and singled out for recognition.
Chartres is an important Camino destination in France, and the symbols and the direction markers always lead you to the church or cathedral, and continue on from there.
I had a long chat with a French Parisian lady who had started in Paris and was going all the way to Santiago. She was a management consultant who works with companies to manage staff effectively. She said in her experience, the biggest problem was convincing managers that their staff were their greatest asset, and deserve respect. She hasn’t invented the wheel there; it’s common news,
It’s 1625 kilometres to Santiago from Chartres, about double anything I’ve ever done. She had walked various other Caminos and assisted as a
Top Two Dormer Windows
That’s us in Chartres helper in Alburgues on some of her walks. She was a gracious lady, and unexpectedly planted the French two cheek kiss as we parted. Oo la la !
Lunch was a Normande crepe, which was ham, cheeses, and apple sorbet, topped with a lightly marinaded single leaf salad. It was made with buckwheat and was gluten free, not that it matters to me. It’s the taste that counts; ten out of ten.
Once we were on the road again, a plan hatched to visit the Gardens of the Chateau Villandry. It was near Tours, our home for the next 5 days, and has some of the best gardens in France. After visiting, it could be said that they are a more intricate, better maintained, compact version of Versailles. It was built around 1536, and serves just one of many castles in the Loire Region.
They comprise 4 main gardens; Vegetable, the Ornamental Garden ( divided into themes of Tender Love, Passionate Love, Flighty Love, and Tragic Love ), The Water Garden, and The Sun Garden. There is also a Herb garden, the Woods, and a Maze outside the main garden area.
It had very
few visitors while we were there and the temperature was 21 degrees. Just check out the pics, it was outstanding and the Vegetable garden was very productive, no doubt servicing the restaurant attached to the Chateau.
The weather justified an ice cream cone, filled with homemade herb flavoured ice cream.
I’m now sitting at the table in our refurbished medieval accommodation. We’re on the second floor, and the old , worn timber staircase guarantees that no one could slip back home late, after hours. I thought some treads were so loose they might flip up and hit me in the knee. It’s a very quirky place. Tim is sleeping in a mezzanine level directly above our bed, and the absence of a safety rail has me hoping he doesn’t roll out of bed.
Dinner tonight was light after our hearty lunch , and we had bread, three cheeses, tomatoes, a jellied meat pate , and a Diet Coke. I’ll put a few pics together, and will lay in wait in the bottom bed, ready to leap if Tim gets restless. Catch you tomorrow.
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