Thursday
After a night’s sleep and a morning’s breakfast, our little group boarded a bus to begin our journey westward to La Manche (aka The English Channel). En route, we made one stop. But, oh, what a stop it was!
Chartres Cathedral. It is considered to be one of the best and most complete examples of Gothic church architecture anywhere. And the stained glass windows–largely original–are breathtaking. Unfortunately, this humble tourist’s camera cannot capture their true brilliance.
After a guided tour of the cathedral’s interior, we were set loose on Chartres to explore and to feed. We learned a valuable lesson as we sought a place to have lunch away from Tourist Central. There was a little tavern whose placard menu out front listed Croque Monsieur — your basic grilled ham-and-cheese sandwich — but with a French nom!
We approached one door, pulled on the handle to gain access and found it to be locked. We gave a second tug and, still, no success. As we started to leave, Rob decided to try the second door. Again, a gentle tug on the handle yielded nothing but resistance.
[I think you might see where this is going.]
As we walked away, a bar patron from within the establishment emerged through the inward-opening door (duh!) and beckoned us to enter. A fine lunch was enjoyed by all.
On to Saint-Malo.
France: Normandy to Paris 