Upon arrival in Paris I slipped and answered common pleasantries in Italian for a couple of days. Upon arrival in Germany I am still saying Bon Jour! and Merci! but I usually catch myself halfway into the words.
From Brussels we drove to Aachen, the Empirical Capital of the realm of Charlemagne.
Sunday, October 11, 2015
Friday, October 2, 2015
God is Light
Daytrip to Chartres
Rebuilt after a fire in the last 1100's, Chartres Cathedral was built rapidly, completed between 1194-1250. Some in the town who as children had watched the former church burn lived to see the consecration of the new cathedral in 1250. The cathedral stars some of, if not the, most beautiful stained-glass windows in the world. The vision for the cathedral included a focus on the power of God/God's light as experienced pouring through these vividly colored windows. Words and photos cannot capture the immense beauty of the cathedral windows.
Chartres Cathedral is also known for its prayer labyrinth, perhaps the oldest continuing prayer labyrinth in any Christian church. While we were there the chairs in the nave were covering the labyrinth but I was still able to photograph parts of it and pray on this amazing pilgrims' destination.
Our merry band of six Americans left on the 9 am fast train to Chartres from the Montparnass Station. Our friend Greg Meland is a train nut and was like a kid at Disney in the train stations and in the train. You see him below with Linda watching the big board at the Montparnass station waiting for the tiles to flip to indicate our departure platform.
Deb and Gregg Correll joined us in Paris on Monday morning after flying overnight on Sunday and were bravely charging forth on this junket despite some residual jet lag. It was very chilly in the town of Chartres and even chillier in the cathedral. Deb bought a lovely Irish wool sweater at a Celtic shop in town to ward of the bone-chill and Greg bought a hat at the urging of many (he had resisted because it is so similar to Mark's signature hat, but we prevailed upon him and the hat was clearly made for him.)
On our return train to Paris, after a splendid early dinner at a bistro just off the cathedral square, we watched the dusk settle over the greening French countryside. The Chartres restaurant's lower level is also a jazz club on weekends and is comprised of three levels of 800 year old caves that were once related to the cathedral grounds.
Rebuilt after a fire in the last 1100's, Chartres Cathedral was built rapidly, completed between 1194-1250. Some in the town who as children had watched the former church burn lived to see the consecration of the new cathedral in 1250. The cathedral stars some of, if not the, most beautiful stained-glass windows in the world. The vision for the cathedral included a focus on the power of God/God's light as experienced pouring through these vividly colored windows. Words and photos cannot capture the immense beauty of the cathedral windows.
Chartres Cathedral is also known for its prayer labyrinth, perhaps the oldest continuing prayer labyrinth in any Christian church. While we were there the chairs in the nave were covering the labyrinth but I was still able to photograph parts of it and pray on this amazing pilgrims' destination.
Our merry band of six Americans left on the 9 am fast train to Chartres from the Montparnass Station. Our friend Greg Meland is a train nut and was like a kid at Disney in the train stations and in the train. You see him below with Linda watching the big board at the Montparnass station waiting for the tiles to flip to indicate our departure platform.
Deb and Gregg Correll joined us in Paris on Monday morning after flying overnight on Sunday and were bravely charging forth on this junket despite some residual jet lag. It was very chilly in the town of Chartres and even chillier in the cathedral. Deb bought a lovely Irish wool sweater at a Celtic shop in town to ward of the bone-chill and Greg bought a hat at the urging of many (he had resisted because it is so similar to Mark's signature hat, but we prevailed upon him and the hat was clearly made for him.)
On our return train to Paris, after a splendid early dinner at a bistro just off the cathedral square, we watched the dusk settle over the greening French countryside. The Chartres restaurant's lower level is also a jazz club on weekends and is comprised of three levels of 800 year old caves that were once related to the cathedral grounds.
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