The Fairytale Ambience of Chartres France
December 23, 2010 MuseumChick
I’m planning to go to church this Christmas. I have to be honest, I don’t go to church that much. I’m a holiday church kind-of goer. When I was little my grandmother would drag me to church kicking and screaming and then I would fall asleep in the pew. As I got older I tried to go for her but I got wrapped up in all my daily life things. This year I’ll be looking for a service in NYC- something big and festive. Maybe St Patrick’s Cathedral.
One place that would be spectacular for a Christmas mass is the beautiful Chartres Cathedral in Chartres, France. I stopped by the small town in the spring during my spring road trip in a Smart Car through the Loire Valley and did a tour through the Chartres Cathedral. It’s the largest in France and displays some of the most intricate and colorful rose windows I have seen.
Driving through the quaint French town of Chartres and trying to find the Cathedral was part of the fun. Though its tall steeples can be seen from most points in town, the winding roads lead us up and down the narrow streets in a round-about way before making it to the entrance of the door.
It was lovely. I took pictures of the shops and apartments on top that were full of character. I just love the old French shutters.
The houses had so much character too. They can really get your imagination going about who could live there? What do they do on a daily basis? Water the garden, swim in the small stream and chase a small terrier? Many of the houses seem out of a fairytale.
As we caught a glimpse of the Chartres Cathedral from a distance looking over a large garden we estimated it was probably only a mile away.
As we got closer more of the Cathedral was exposed and its gothic architecture and patinaed copper roof were becoming more interesting…
©2010 Danee Gilmartin All rights reserved
