Chartres

Chartres, pronounced with an American accent as "Sharts," is the largest gothic cathedral in Europe. For any architecht buffs, which I am not, this cathedral is the most pure example of gothic architecture. It is an hour's drive from Paris proper, making it one of the easier day trips in the area (we did it after church this Sunday). The site on which this cathedral was built has ancient roots as a temple to a pagan godess. Later it was replaced by a Christian church which claimed to house the garment worn by Mary when she gave birth to Jesus. In 1190 a fire destroyed most of the church, with the exception of the holy relic (i.e. garment worn by Mary) as well as a cobalt blue stained glass window of the Virgin. In a mere 70 years the local townspeople rebuilt the cathedral (a feat when one considers the hundreds of years it took to build Notre Dame de Paris) and dedicated it to Our Lady. This garment survives still and can be viewed on special Holy Days.

The artwork is primarily focused on the life of Mary. The most impressive of which is (in my opinion) the choir wall. Located in the center of the cathedral, is a large room erected from stone with detailed carvings (more like statues) adorning the sides. Medieval tradition had several beliefs, not traced to scriptural documents, regarding the life of Mary. There are 37 scenes depicted on the wall. The first scene portrayed is of Mary's father as a shepherd in the field being told by an angel that Mary will be born. There is also a scene of Joseph and Mary's wedding, before she is visited by the angel that she will give birth to the Christ. These scenes took longer to create than the cathedral itself, and by the time the nativity scene is shown the wise men are no longer dressed in Romanesque clothing, instead they are dressed in the attire of the Renaissance (as one individual described it, think Three Muskateers).

There are so many lovely parks situated with a spectacular view of this cathedral. I can't wait to take a picnic with us as soon as it is spring and enjoy a nice meal along the river. Hopefully, I will remember to take extra batteries for my camera so I can take pictures of the choir wall I loved so much.

An American in Paris...on Thanksgiving

11 AM: Wake up
1:00 PM: Leave house, go to toy store down the street to find a birthday gift for a 3 year old
1:30 PM: Realize you aren't looking for the child anymore, but actually more for yourself, hurry and leave...
2:30 PM: Hit a creperie for lunch
3:45 PM: Metro to Catacombs
4:00 PM: Last guests to enter "gravesite"
4:15 PM: Escorted by staff member to hurry us along so they can go home
4:17 PM: Convince Nate and Rebecca to walk slowly with the baby, thus stalling the impatient staff member so we can sneak ahead and take pictures (forbidden with flash)
4:45 PM: Leave Catacombs 20 minutes early thanks to impatient staff.
6:00 PM: Drop off birthday gift
7:30 PM: Dinner at local cafe, order duck (closest you can find to turkey)
10:00 PM: Reflect on the day, recognize how great the food was, but vow to always cook a real Thanksgiving meal in years to come...and not to visit mass graveyards in the future on a "day of thanks".

Catacombs 101: In the 18th century the central locale of Les Halles was plagued with disease. Improper burial practices compounded the problem, which created a vicious cycle. In order to alleviate the problem, and to create room for more graves, the Paris government secretly grave-robbed at night for several years, moving all the old bones to the catacombs, before the plan was discovered. (Shout out to Tad for all the great pictures his diligence made possible on this blog)

Mont Saint Michel

A short night's sleep, an incident with incorrectly saving the car rental receipt, and a baby who wouldn't go to bed before midnight didn't stop us from making the 3.5 hour trek from Paris to Mont St Michel and back. The abbey for which the small island town is famous (4 million visitors annually) was built in the 10th century and was the fourth Christian Pilgramage locale (Jerusalem, Rome, Spain preceeding). The walk up the steep, narrow, and twisty roads crawling with kitschy souvenir shops shouldn't discourage you from making the complete summit to the abbey. Marveille (or Marvelous in English) is the name of the actual abbey situated on the pyramidal shaped granite island. The Eastern side of the building collapsed in the 14th century and was rebuilt with flying buttresses for support, when you view the pictures you can clearly differentiate the architectural distinctions between the two wings. Family Bonus: a few pictures of Ruby included in the slideshow.