Day Tripping I: Chartres

Since our program ended on Thursday, I have about two weeks in France until I head home to Chicago. I decided to do some day trips from Paris, along with a 4-day break in Nice/Monaco, to round out my France study abroad experience. I'm glad I decided not to make it a totally insane Eurotrip with 10 countries in 10 days or something. I wanted time to be able to actually visit some places in France that are (somewhat) off the beaten tourist path- and this may be my best chance for a while.

So Friday, I went to Chartres, a town about 80KM outside of Paris. Chartres is mainly known for its Cathedral, which was built in 876.

Much of the cathedral burned down in 1194. However, the cathedral's most prized relic, the veil that the Virgin Mary supposedly wore when giving birth to Christ, somehow survived the fire, and is still on display inside.

The other interesting thing about the Chartres Cathedral is the stained glass. Most was completed by the 13th century (and some in the mid-12th), which apparently makes the Cathedral one of the best examples of medieval stained glass in the world.

There are 4 main stained glass windows in the Church, each of which tells a different biblical story.

Other than visiting the Cathedral, Chartres is a really well maintained medieval town, and it was fun to just walk around the old part of the city.

The Eure river runs through the city, which gives it an almost Amsterdam-lite feeling.

The town was a nice break from staying in Paris, where it's a little tough to get away from the people and the noise.

Overall, I had a great time, and I can't wait for next week, when I take more trips a little further outside Ile de France.