France Trip 2004

Chartres

On our last day in Paris we took a one hour train trip to the city of Chartres. The city houses an impressive Gothic cathedral which dominates the skyline. The cathedral contained beautiful stained glass windows comparable to Notre Dame's. The interior also had various dedications to the Virgin Mary. While we were inside, the huge front doors opened up flooding the entry with light and in walked a wedding party - the bride and her father, the groom and his mother, the attendants and all the guests! Earlier on our visit Jamie was wondering if these huge French cathedrals actually staged weddings and apparently they do. Next, we climbed up the cathedral's North Tower and got some great views of the city. We were a bit nervous on the tower as it was very tall, narrow and 500 years old.

We returned to Paris and finished our day with a walk along the Champs Elysees. Easier said than done as there was a heavy downpour at the time. Also, we had hoped to start our walk at the Arc de Triompe, but it was closed for some sort of official ceremony complete with a military style band. We watched from across the roundabout. We walked, or rather, ran from shop to shop trying to stay dry. We checked out the Virgin Records superstore and a Peugot dealership's concept car display. Eventually the rain stopped and city brightened up with the emerging sun. Earlier the next morning we left Paris and headed to Normandy.