Another lost cathedral?

Stained glass
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Practical Information

• Exchange rate: 1€ = 1.47 USD Air France Shuttle: €16.50 one-way Shuttle leaves CDG for Paris or Orly every 30 minutes - see www.airfrance.us for further information One-way train ticket from Paris Gare Montparnasseto Chartres: €13.50 Hotel Chatelet: €129 ($190) per night 1/2 carafe rose¢: €7 ($10.29).

More stained glass
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Our plane landed at CDG right on time and we were through Passport Control/Baggage Claim quickly and painlessly.  All the airport signs are multi-lingual ~ just follow the signs.  To find the Air France Shuttle follow the signs to Ground Transportation.

The Air France Shuttle dropped us off right in front of Gare Montparnasse which couldn't have been more convenient.  We rolled on in and bought our tickets to Chartres.  The ticket machines wouldn't take American credit cards or Euros so we went to the ticket window.  Fortunately, we'd practiced how to ask for train tickets in French (Deux aller simple por Chartres, svp).  Although interestingly enough the guy at the ticket window told me he didn't speak English (Parler vous Anglais?) and yet he asked the women next to him a question....in English and then started talking to me in English.  I don't know if my French accent was so bad he couldn't understand me or he just answered automatically.  We had 40 minutes to wait for our train which was just the right amount of time for an espresso and pastry!

Tourist Train
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The train trip to Chartres was only about an hour and mostly through Parisian suburbs.  We did get a glimpse of the Eiffel Tower and later on Versailles.

As the train comes into Chartres you can see the cathedral sitting on a small hill with the town clustered around and below it.  It's funny though when you're walking around (at least the part of town we walked around) you really can't see the cathedral.

The walk from the train station to our hotel was only a block which was great!  No hauling those darn suitcases around.

Chartres Cathedral
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The cathedral was smaller than I'd expected which gave it a homier, people-sized feeling and the mis-matched steeples added to homey effect.  The stained glass still has deep jewel coloring despite its age.  As you come into the main part of the cathedral there is a stone labyrinth set in the floor.  In the past, pilgrims would crawl the labyrinth on their knees while confessing their sins.  Now people remove their shoes and walk the labyrinth while meditating or praying.

Stained Glass
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Lunch was a lovely French Onion soup, rose¢ and a small salad at La Serpente Brasserie across from the cathedral. Yum!

We took a ride on the cute little white tourist train through Chartres, over the river, around the cathedral and over the river and back.  It was a fun way to see the town and learn more about its history.

Dinner was Steak and Frites at Arts des Café where the waiter wanted to try out his English.  He didn't understand the word "rare", but rouge worked!  Our meal was accompanied by an excellent violinist who has been featured on Radio France.   He played "As the Saints Go Marching In", a classical piece and either the Hungarian Rhapsody or something very similar.

Say a prayer
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After dinner we took a quiet stroll back to our hotel until time for the Illuminations.  The Illuminations were very different from what I expected.  I thought it was just pretty lights, but it's much more than that.  The church was light up with lights and patterns making it look like a giant jigsaw puzzle or mosaic.    We left earlier than we wanted too, but it was cold!