Chartres Cathedral

Rick and I took the train to Chartres from Paris. It's not a long trip and well worth the bumpy ride on the old RER line. On the train on a field trip with their teacher, were some school children, who at lunchtime opened their lunches and wished each other "bon appetite" before dining.

Chartres Cathedral is the finest example of a Gothic Cathedral. From nave to choir, its architecture was the template for several which came after it. Its stained-glass windows are amazing. Some are designs of tiny squares or triangles. Others have Bible scenes. They are all in the most-stunning jewel tones. Some reach nearly to the ceiling. There are three rose windows.

It is fortunate that the Chartres Cathedral has suffered little damage. After the fire in the roof in 1836, there was a metal structure put in place which makes the building more sound to this day. France owns this magnificent church, and the Catholic Church and City of Chartres contribute to its ongoing well-being.

Unesco

Marie de Medici Queen of France

So, we returned to Paris for a few days and one of the places we went was the Jardin de Luxembourg which I remembered from stories in my high school French books. There we were, walking the chat paths, seeing statues and gardens when we came to this statue. Marie de Medici was Henri IV's second wife, not a very good politician or considered pleasant or charming. She was a good friend of Cardinal Richelieu, who negotiated her reconciliation with her son Louis XIII after Henri IV's death. She was the grandmother of Louis XIV.

She was Queen of France even though she lacked the qualities most useful for being queen and she survived well into her sixties!

Chateau de Pray

Rick took this picture of me inside the hotel named Chateau de Pray, near Amboise. We stayed there a couple of nights while visiting the chateaux in the Loire Valley. The hotel is a sixteenth century castle, which today has a restaurant with a Michelin star. I was there on my 53rd birthday. It was the best meal of my life. Perch caught that day in the Loire. An individual birthday cake with spun sugar decoration on outside. Very good wine.

Our bedroom had a four-poster bed and an armoire. It was authentic but not fancy. I think today with the hotel's four-star rating, the bedrooms are fancier and the hotel more expensive.