Left the FIAP hostel in Paris to start our Loire Valley and Normandy trip. The bus we are riding in is brand-spanking new, which is nice.
Our first stop was Chartres Cathedral. We had a personal guided tour by Malcolm Miller, the premier scholar on the cathedral. And for those of us who might have been skeptical of his credentials, our fears were allayed when we saw all of his books for sale in the gift shop. He has basically dedicated his life to studying the cathedral and his tour really conveyed his passion and vast knowledge. His disposition reminded me of the Professor from The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe; a warm, twinkling British man who won’t put up with nonsense. And when I say “twinkling,” I mean funny, and when I say “funny,” I mean he made a joke about John the Baptist’s endowment…you had to be there.
The cathedral was beautiful, as most medieval cathedrals tend to be. Two of the most unique features of Chartres are the stain glass windows and the relic.
The stain glass windows are the oldest intact stain glass windows in Europe. They were beautiful and incredibly detailed. Malcolm spent fifteen minutes explaining one window (out of 70 maybe?) and he stressed that he could have spent an hour more. Not only are the windows full of stories, minute inscriptions and symbology, but even the shapes, placement and colors all have a purpose. It was fascinating. The oldest windows are from the 11th century, surviving revolutions, religious purges, weather, two world wars and more.
The relic was pretty cool as well. While medieval relics are nothing new (Malcolm mentioned that apparently 33 churches had the skull of St. Peter) this one is supposed to be pretty legitimate. It’s the robe Mary wore when she gave birth to Jesus. Two monks saved the robe from a fire that consumed one of the earlier cathedrals on the site, thus making the cathedral a “miracle site,” adding Chartres to the list of pilgrimage destinations. The cloth has since been tested by scientists and has been dated to the time of Christ…so the dates are right…
After Chartres we headed to the Château Blois. This is a crazy château because it’s made up of four different castles mashed together. There’s the original Gothic style keep, one Flamboyant style side, a Renaissance side and a Neo-Classical side, each built at a different time by different people.
After a self-guided tour through the château we headed to our hotel in Blois, and then returned to the château at night for a Sound & Light show. They projected images and designs onto the castle walls depicting the history of the château. Some of the major players that frequented the château included Joan of Arc, Françoise I, Catherine de’ Medici, Henri III and Gaston d’Orléans…so, needless to say, a lot of history. The show was pretty cool, but seemed to drag towards the end, plus it was getting pretty chilly. It ended around eleven, then off to bed for another busy day!
An American in Paris... 