Sometimes life gives you lemons and you have to make
lemonade. For me, that time came on the
morning of our departure to Chartres, France when I woke up with the same
symptoms of sore throat and congestion that my Dad had the day before. I managed to endure it though as we caught a
train and left Paris far behind. I
wasn’t sorry to
arrive in a much smaller and much nicer town.
Chartres is a small medieval town, with winding narrow
streets and narrow wooden or stone houses and shops. It has the feel that everyone knows everyone,
though it's probably larger than the tiny area we saw. Our accommodations were in a nice and modest
hotel near the center of town and in view of the huge and impressive cathedral
that dominates the skyline of the town.
This was another “Notre Dame” both in name and scope. While the outside face is not as impressive,
it is still imposing with its two huge belfries – one larger and more ornate
than the other. Like the cathedral in
Paris, there was a similar feeling to this sanctuary, but it was far less
crowded and as a result, far more impressive to me. There’s extensive work on renovation, and you
can see why. The older stones have a
dingy, dark look, while renovated parts look bright and amazingly new.
The stained glass was very beautiful, but it was the
carvings that were the most impressive thing.
They were as intricate as the carvings I saw in Nikko, Japan, detailing
the life of Mary and Jesus. There were
points that seemed like they ought to be made from cross-stitched
knitting. I will let the carvings speak
for themselves.
The central sanctuary had beautiful wooden choir stalls,
and behind all this were little chapels and areas for prayer. In one was a statue of Mary and Jesus which
was quite nice and in another was some kind of holy relic related to one of the
more “modern” saints.
It was such a breath of fresh air to have this be our first
experience upon leaving Paris. It put
into perspective the difference between there and here. Here, we had room to breathe, to explore and
enjoy. I felt at last we were seeing the
real France, and I could understand how people outside of Paris start to resent
the people from the city.
After lunch we wound around the narrow streets of the medieval
town, making our way along a river before winding back to our hotel. It was a lovely and charming place, and we
were all very pleased with our progress there.
I think if Dad and I were feeling better it would have been even more
enjoyable, and we all felt like we wanted to spent more time than we were going
to.
We did make another trip back to the Cathedral later in the
day, and the second trip was strangely more enjoyable than the first. There’s a local school right across the street, and it
just so happened that some of the children were preparing to practice for their
music lessons. I have to say, if I went
to school I would be so lucky to be able to practice music in such a
place. It was really rather sweet because they were being so respectful and attentive of their teacher and the
father who was helping them.
Listening to them sing, hearing the instruments in that
great space, it lent a softer innocent sense than the first Notre Dame. Here was a cathedral alive and very much a
part of its small community. Such a
church was at the heart of so many places in France, but here I think it was
that touch that reminded me of home in a sense.
I thought about the kids at my work in such a place beholding these
wonders that I saw. I was sure they’d be
just as impressed and homesick.
That night we had dinner at a little pizzeria before going
to the night show at the Cathedral. The
dinner was absolutely delicious, maybe one of the best Italian meals I’ve ever
eaten in my life. The show was a nice
cap to a wonderful day, and we caught it at an opportune time. This presentation lasts only through
September, and is put on by the city to accentuate and enlighten tourists. It’s quite an impressive feature, with beams
of light and projections placed onto the surface of the cathedral itself.
The church seems to come alive from the darkness, and
becomes a focal point for
some really wonderful graphical achievements. It was very fanciful and we watched two shows
before finally retiring for bed. It’s my
pleasure to show what my camera could capture in the dark. Once again, apologies for the angles.
