Chartres

Today we decided to take a break from Paris and take a train out to see Chartres Cathedral. What a day! Chartres is the cutest quietest little town about an hour train ride from Paris, and the absolute polar opposite from our apartment on what is I think the loudest street corner in all of Paris. Unfortunately we didn't reallllly think ahead too much on this excursion, so we ended up having to wait at Gare Montparnasse for longer than intended. What happened was we tried to use the ticket kiosk and it was trying to charge us like 300 euro for the tickets which seemed absurd, so then we had to wait in line to talk to a person and by the time we actually got the tickets (56 euro) we'd missed the train. Sooooo we sat and had a cappuccino and pain au chocolat :) We got to experience our first huge French train station, so we're not counting it as a total loss.

The train finally came, it was a lovely easy train ride, with comfortable seats and air conditioning! Grandma was so happy she fell asleep :) We arrived in the town after about an hour and used the steeples as vague sort of marker for navigation. We found the cathedral remarkably easily! Chartres may just be the cutest town I've ever seen though. The streets are cobblestone, there are flowers in the windows, it was amazing! But I'm going to skip ahead to the Cathedral.

We decided to take the guided tour so that we could get some more education out of it, and also because my ticket was half-price seeing as I was the only person under the age of 55 on this tour. The guide was legitimately shocked when someone responded after he asked if there were any undergrad students on the tour... anyway. I'm just going to have to make a list of why this particular tour was so enjoyable.
1) We had to wear these alienesque stethoscope earpieces that had radios attached to the guide could talk into the a microphone and we could hear him easily.

2) Our guide was a hundred-year-old English professor who has been studying Chartres Cathedral for over 50 years. I wish I was exaggerating.

3) Our guide was distinctly racist. He deviated for several minutes to discuss how the huge Japanese tour groups come in and take over the place with no regard for anyone else in the building. Valid point. He also used these same Japanese tourists as reference points when showing us particular sculptures, etc. For example, "Look right above that Japanese woman taking a picture there, they're always doing that aren't they, see that statue?"

4) We actually did learn so much about the Cathedral! Did you know that stained glass windows were originally used in the Middle Ages to tell biblical stories to the illiterate masses? Did you also know that stained glass windows are meant to be "read" in a certain way? Well I didn't, but I do now! The windows are read from bottom to top and left to right, and the pictures tell the various stories from the Bible. Not only that, but the windows even give a commentary on these stories. One window we saw told both the stories of Adam and Eve and the Good Samaritan, and the commentary was the various ways these stories are connected. Absolutely fascinating. Another interesting factoid is that "brotherhoods" of tradespeople commissioned some of these windows, so the windows have little images of shoemakers or fur traders or bakers or what have you. The more impressive windows were funded by kings and queens and other royals and so are decorated with coats of arms. You'll be surprised what you find if you look close enough.

5) As I said, I was the youngest on the tour by a margin of a good 40 years. It was quite enjoyable to watch as everyones eyes adjusted after admiring the statues outside and returning to the church. Also one woman didn't realize that her stethoscope wasn't on until halfway through the tour. Just saying.

After we saw the cathedral we decided to take the tour of the crypt. Putain, c'etait froid!!!! But really cool. The crypt is actually more like a whole second church, with many small chapels and even a very large one where they hold services. The art in these chapels is all very modern too, it was one of the coolest things I've seen yet. The tour was all in French, which was interesting, poor Grandma was a little lost.... haha :)

Before we headed back to the train station we stopped at a salon de the for some tea and a sweet snack. Mousse au chocolat yummmmmm :) We'd been so healthy the first week of the trip, we've totally lost it though! Haha so worth it, I don't care what anyone says! All the food here has been to die for. I don't know what it is but everything is just marvelous.

Grandma fell asleep again on the way back, and I read my TrueBlood book (don't judge me). We got in just in time to go out for a late dinner, and decided it would be wise to have salad, which we did. I had hot chocolate after dinner and Grandma ordered a Cointreau. She was in heaven! They served it properly, warmed and in a very large.... snifter? It smelled delicious but that'll clear your sinuses quick! I did have a taste and while I enjoyed it I don't think it will become my new after-dinner must have. I am getting quite used to wine with dinner though. Silly American drinking age :(