Parts of France had experienced a hot, dry Spring just as parts of Britain had and we heard stories from other campers of major French rivers reduced to trickles. However, recently there had been some torrential downpours in the Chartres areas that resulted in campers being moved away from the lower parts of the campsite as they were inundated by the rising river.
We walked into Chartres (3km) along the Eure river, now pretty, tranquil and shallow. As we arrived in the town, the rain started. We quickly made our way to the cathedral, walked in and were enveloped by the darkness. It was dim outside but the lack of lights in the cathedral made it very difficult to see anything. It soon became obvious why it was kept so dark. The main attraction of the cathedral is its stained glass dating from as early as the 12th century and the denseness of the colours means that the interior light needs to be kept low so that the light coming through the windows is more effective. After letting our eyes get accustomed to the lack of light we were able to appreciate the beauty of the windows. The depth of the colours, especially the blues and reds, gives them an almost 3-D effect. We were able to see the details in the glass by using binoculars but the congregation in the 12th century would never have been able to it from far below at floor level.
When we left the church it was still raining so we went into a nearby restaurant for lunch. The timing was very good as the rain had stopped by the time that we emerged. We followed a trail around the town admiring the architecture before heading back along the river to the campsite.
Photos: The Eure river at Chartres; The staircase of Queen Bertha in Chartres.
We walked into Chartres (3km) along the Eure river, now pretty, tranquil and shallow. As we arrived in the town, the rain started. We quickly made our way to the cathedral, walked in and were enveloped by the darkness. It was dim outside but the lack of lights in the cathedral made it very difficult to see anything. It soon became obvious why it was kept so dark. The main attraction of the cathedral is its stained glass dating from as early as the 12th century and the denseness of the colours means that the interior light needs to be kept low so that the light coming through the windows is more effective. After letting our eyes get accustomed to the lack of light we were able to appreciate the beauty of the windows. The depth of the colours, especially the blues and reds, gives them an almost 3-D effect. We were able to see the details in the glass by using binoculars but the congregation in the 12th century would never have been able to it from far below at floor level.
When we left the church it was still raining so we went into a nearby restaurant for lunch. The timing was very good as the rain had stopped by the time that we emerged. We followed a trail around the town admiring the architecture before heading back along the river to the campsite.
Photos: The Eure river at Chartres; The staircase of Queen Bertha in Chartres.
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