Blogs from Chartres, Centre, France, Europe

Tim tells me today is probably the biggest day of our trip, so it’s 7.30am and I’m getting the jump on this blog. Last night I was still going when everyone else was asleep. I enjoy the peace but it does take some joy out of it. It reminds me of a motorbike trip I did with a club, who shall remain nameless , but not any rebel outfit. We rode Vespas. One member, a friend who writes for a living, did a daily journal for our website, and I certainly never fully appreciated the effort he went to; I do now. Thanks Ian. I’m certainly not complaining, but if it seems a bit lean some days, bear with me. I’ve decided facts about each attraction are less important than a bit of opinion, so we’ll ... read more

We took the metro directly to the train station for our day at Chartres. The weather was beautiful and the ride comfortable even though we were in "second class". Actually, all public transit here has been wonderful; prompt, clean and comfortable. There are no elderly people who ride the subway because......of the damn stairs. I must have climbed the Eiffel Tower since I was here. Anyway, we arrived in Chartres and could see the cathedral from the train station. It was Monday and most of the stores and cafes were closed but we found one and Linda scouted out the TI and I ordered Cappachino for two. When Linda came back with a map she had a sandwich and I had a pastry. Yum!!! As we sat outside school children of all ages ran by in ... read more

Friday we rode our bikes to the Foret de Clamart. We took the scenic route there (and by that I mean the long-we-got-lost route, not the prettiest route) and when we got to the forest, we could only find the hiking trails at first which were very steep, rocky and not too bike-friendly. So, back down the big hill and finally found the bike trails. These were steep too but at least they were paved and ridable. This forest was well used by people running and biking. We ate our picnic in the woods and then biked around some more before heading home. The next day was off to Chartres. This town is famous for its Cathedral (dating back to the 1100's) which is spectacular. We could see it from miles away driving in. We parked ... read more

Arriver à Chartres le jour du 422e anniversaire du couronnement du roi Henri lV (le seul qui l'eût été ici, d'ailleurs) est somme toute un événement en soi! Les rues piétonnes du centre-ville grouillent de monde malgré le froid et le grand vent. Ça fait la file devant les cafés pour se réchauffer en après-midi et attention, la presque totalité des centaines de petits restos servant le commémoratif menu royal affichent complet! L'exception pour moi sera l'invitante et jolie table de La Picoterie qui acceptera avec plaisir une femme seule voulant absolument manger cette fameuse poule au pot royale! Mais en ce dimanche ensoleillé mais toujours frisquet, pour la grand-messe d'occasion, les rues se sont vidées et la foule s'est engouffrée dans l'immense et majestueuse cathédrale Notre-Dame. L'heure est à l'ouverture d'esprit pour le chant grégorien, ... read more

Geo: 48.4444, 1.48417Woke up a few times during the night ("Gosh, it must be nearly morning!" Look at clock. "Oh. It's only quarter past two."), but I managed to get back to sleep pretty quickly each time. I had set my alarm for 7:00, but when it went off I reset it to 8:00. So, I woke up feeling not too bad, which I thought was pretty good for the first night. It's the second night that's the test though!The phone booth-style shower wasn't bad, and the Worst Hairdryer in the World ... well, it got my hair dry. (I'm writing this from my new hotel room in Chartres, and guess what: that damn hairdryer followed me!)I went out in search of breakfast and was immediately struck by the humidity. Three, two, one: head o' frizz! ... read more