I am looking at a couple of day trips from Paris, while we are there in July. Any opinions on these? Chartres...an absolute must-do-over for me! Giverny...Monet's home and gardens Versailles...Is this a good choice? Is one day enough time? Fontainebleau...maybe? Vimy...Canadian War Memorial Museum, but maybe too far?
I'm open to any suggestions. It's easy to just hang out in Paris, and I'm quite content to do so. BUT, it's also an opportunity to see a couple of areas outside of the city, with Chartres being a definite trip because I want to spend the day there on a Friday, so I can walk the labyrinth in the cathedral again.
"Notre Dame de Chartres is one of the approximately eighty cathedrals begun in the twelfth century in France that are dedicated to the Virgin. It is unique in that it was completed in just twenty-five years, a witness to the energy and single-mindedness of the School of Chartres. It was a center of intellectual life of that era. A fire in 1194 destroyed most of the cathedral and its treasures. One of the most revered relics, the Veil of Mary, was miraculously saved and became the rallying point for a frenzied rebuilding project. Of the Marian cathedrals, twenty-two had labyrinths, but the only original eleven-circuit labyrinth that remains is in Chartres." ~ Phoebe W. Griswold Brenda
In July both Versailles and Giverny are crowded to the point where you really cannot fully enjoy the places. That's just my opinion. Well, at least Giverny has outdoor gardens which may be less packed, but wandering through the house was brutal! Even in the gardens, you'll be with a thousand people (or more) no matter what time of day. Versailles (interior) is just wall-to-wall tourists; the Hall of Mirrors is like a sardine can. Maybe today, since it has been restored, they are filtering people in a small number at a time; but I doubt it.
I would take that particular aspect (the crowds) into consideration. When we went to Chartres Cathedral in early November 1996, we were nearly alone in there, and it was great. In July 2008?
Posts: 473 | Location: Bayeux, France | Registered: 01 December 2001
Fontainebleau is a pleasant town with historical interest. If I were visiting Paris for a relatively short time and were shortlisting day-trip possibilities, I would choose other towns before Fontainebleau. For example, nearby Vaux le Vicomte is much much more interesting. Chartres is a great choice. After I re-visited it last time, Notre Dame looked so dingy !
Eden, I'd really like to go to Giverny, but I think it will depend on the weather. If it's searingly hot, I'm staying close to the A/C in my apartment! We'll be out and about in the morning and later on in the day, while hiding from the heat in the apartment, Bon Marche or Printemps during the mid-day hours. Heat really wears me out, really fast!
Normandy Dude, I know that Chartres will be smashed with people, and I'm hoping that a weekday will be bearable, as far as crowds are concerned.
I will take the train to Chartres, arriving in the morning, then spend the day in and around the cathedral, walking the labyrinth again, going into the crypt with the guide again, having lunch at a cafe and then on the way back to the train station, stopping at the bakery along the way for luscious sables...again! Hopefully, we'll have a day in Chartres that's not too crazy-busy.
Americana in Parigi, Thank you for suggesting something different, Vaux le Vicomte looks so beautiful! It's not too far out of the city, either, so I will give this some consideration! Now, if I can persuade the granddarling to come with me...
bugsydd, Are there trains or RER that go to Château de Malmaison? The info I've found on the internet makes me want to go there! hank you for letting me know about this.
This is only my second visit to Paris, and so I'm still a bit hesitant to take the train to somewhere I've not been before. BUT, how else will I learn about somewhere different if I don't just DO it?
"This place is totally awesome! Even the view of the Chateau from the road suggests grandeur and stunning elegance. As soon as you get through all the ticketing stuff and out through the courtyard one is gradually eased into the utter mind-boggling grandeur and size of the place. Before going round the garden take time to go into the Chateau, climb up to the top-most point in the belfry thing and view the place. Then go experience. It is quite brilliant and awesome." ~ Adam Hodge's review Brenda
Are there trains or RER that go to Château de Malmaison
When I went there I remember I took the train there and then walked to the castle but on the link in my previous post (thank you Chris for fixing it!)they say that you take RER A to the Grande Arche station where you can take a bus (nr. 258) to the "le chatêau" stop and that checks out with the info on the chateau's website (www.chateau-malmaison.fr). The site is in french only but under "musée, mode d'emploi" you can get an idea of the entrance fees and see the info about how to get there.
Chartres is a MUST, as you know, but in early Aug. 2006 the only day the labyrinth was available for walking was Fridays (found this out the hard way - went and the entire labyrinth was covered with chairs!!). I went back on Friday, on one of the early trains from Montparnasse, and it really wasn't crowded. The crowds began showing up as I was leaving.
Giverny WAS crowded (late July 2005) but as mentioned being outside helped that "feel".
Vaux le Vicomte has been mentioned on Slowtrav so many times I want to visit it myself!!
Enjoy your planning! Laura
Posts: 603 | Location: Edmonds, WA | Registered: 01 April 2006
Kathy, Thanks for the reminder! I never think to look at the FAQ list.
bugsydd, Thanks for the information! I am still trying to figure out what the RER is, as compared to a train. OR, is it a train called an RER? (Newbie question, again.) You'd think I'd have a clue...after all, I've been in Paris before. Ask me what the inside of the police station in Montmartre look like, and I can give you several hours of description, having spent my first trip there frequenting that station for most of my week. But ask me about the metro or the RER or anything ordinary like that, and I'm completely clueless. So, thanks for your help and advice! It helps me a lot to hear from everyone about simple things like the transportation system in Paris, for example.
Laura, You are right, Friday is the only day the carpets are rolled back to allow people to walk the labyrinth, so I'll be going there on a Friday, for sure. This is one way of controlling the wear and tear on the stones in the labyrinth. By controlling the number of penitents who come there to walk the pathway of the labyrinth, they can hopefully lengthen the life of the labyrinth.
Last time, we made an appointment with Malcolm Miller for a guided tour of the cathedral, but he was ill, and we ended up doing it ourselves. We had several fantastic conversations with local residents about the history of the cathedral their love of the crypts underneath the existing church and the love-hate relationship with the Madonna of the Basement...a beautiful piece depicting Mary and a laughing Baby Jesus sitting on her lap.
The guide told us that today's adherents seem to love the suffering Christ on the cross much more than the happy infant Christ Child sitting on his mother's lap. He said some of the Chartres residents call this statue Madonna of the Basement, The Lady of the Under Ground, or Notre Dame Sous Terre, because the piece seems destined to be relegated to the crypt, rather than being brought up into the daylight and showcased in the main section of the cathedral.
I'll post a photo of this piece below...there is no light underground so the images I took are very out-of-focus.
"From a distance Chartres Cathedral seems to hover in mid-air above waving fields of corn, and it is only when the visitor draws closer that the city comes into view, clustering around the hill on which the cathedral stands." ~ Sacred Destinations Brenda
"The circumference of the labyrinth is 131 feet, almost exactly the same size as the West Rose window. Intriguingly, the labyrinth is the same distance from the west entrance as the West Rose is from the floor — so if the west wall fell inwards, the rose would land directly on the Labyrinth." ~ Sacred Destinations Brenda
When I went mid-week there wasn't any carpet on the floor, perhaps now there is. Just those wooden church chairs (like in your first photo) set up all the way to the very back of the church, including across the labyrinth.
I said it wasn't too crowded when I first arrived. I was able to take my shoes off and just step into the labyrinth. When I was about 2/3 of the way through, a few tour groups arrived. You might ask how I noticed if I were truly "walking the labyrinth". Well....interesting story. A Spanish guide led her group through the middle of the labyrinth and was just standing dead center explaining the cathedral. A man who was sitting and observing approached her and told her that this was a sacred journey, walking the labyrinth, and some people had waited their entire lives to do so. She began screaming at him to not "tell her what she can/cannot do". A little "blip" in my meditation! She eventually wandered off to another corner of the church.
I hope your granddaughter is "into" walking the labyrinth! It is an amazing experience. I don't think the walkers have to be religious, catholic, etc.; just spiritual. Has she read about it at all?
Laura
Posts: 603 | Location: Edmonds, WA | Registered: 01 April 2006
My granddaughter has heard me talking about the experience of walking the labyrinth, so she's interested. The problem is that we are arriving on a Saturday and her flight home is on the following Friday, so I'll be making the trip to Chartres without her. I might take her there during the week, just for the experience of seeing the cathedral and climbing to the top of the tower, if she's interested.
I love your story of the unaware tour guide! I had a few like that, walking right through the labyrinth, cutting in front of people who were "in the zone" as they walked the labyrinth. I was shocked at first, and then realized that they just had no idea what this sacred space was. Here's the link to my trip report page about our day in Chartres at the cathedral. Hopefully, you'll enjoy reading it!
I also want to spend some time exploring the town of Chartres. I've learned a lot about it, since we were there the first time, so it only encourages me to learn more by walking in areas other than around and inside the cathedral. I would like to spend some time in the Stained Glass Museum... "There is one place you should not miss- the fabulous Centre International du Vitrail (Stained Glass Museum), which had several ongoing exhibits while I was there. With the amazing stained glass windows of the cathedral (many from the 12th Century), Chartres has maintained a core of expert craftsmen who carry on the ancient traditions with a world-class artisan school for renovation and creation. There are also several fascinating shops in town that sell refurbished pieces from the past as well as colorful inventions from today’s artists." ~ from GoEurope
"This building is like a book. Its architecture is the binding, its text is in the glass and sculpture." ~ Malcolm Miller Brenda
This image is a close-up of the detail on the turrets at the top of the cathedral, seen after climbing the 300+ steps to get there...
Your trip report is moving! I loved it! I experienced a lot of the same thoughts and emotions as I walked the labyrinth. I am thankful for people like you who help others into/during the walk in the labyrinth. I wanted to do this so badly, and didn't hesitate to step in, but once in I knew I needed an "angel" to guide me the rest of the way through - and there she was! In beautiful blue, leading the way. Could have been you!
As to the unaware folks traipsing through the center, all I can say is what a shame. They are standing in one of the remaining 2 (I believe) labyrinths and they don't even realize it! Perhaps they're just "doing a tour", checking a box. To think they'll never know the power.
Thanks for the link! What a great Sunday morning read! Laura
Posts: 603 | Location: Edmonds, WA | Registered: 01 April 2006
Laura, I'm so happy that you enjoyed reading about my wonderful trip! What surprised me more than the people walking straight into the labyrinth were the ones who were talking in loud voices and being quite rowdy and disruptive inside of the cathedral! There's something about being inside any church or chapel that reduces me to a very reverend whisperer. So, it always catches me off-guard when someone is not in awe of their surroundings when inside of a house of worship.
quote:
I am thankful for people like you who help others into/during the walk in the labyrinth. I wanted to do this so badly, and didn't hesitate to step in, but once in I knew I needed an "angel" to guide me the rest of the way through - and there she was! In beautiful blue, leading the way. Could have been you!
Could have been! I will make sure to invite people to walk the labyrinth this summer, when I'm back in Chartres, you can be sure of that! It is such a cool thing to see the process for each person who walks...every reaction from A - Z. Some hurry through the labyrinth as if they can hardly wait to get out! Others, wander along, taking their time, pausing occasionally to think or feel whatever they are thinking or feeling...interesting!
This is the Carol Shields Labyrinth website...she is one of my favorite authors, and her friends and supporters are building a gorgeous labyrinth in her memory. How totally cool is that? Hope you like this labyrinth design!
Here's some food for thought... "The number of stones that form the path of the Chartres labyrinth provides a final numerical puzzle. Often quoted as exactly 270, and considered by many as symbolic of the number of days of human gestation, the exact number is in fact difficult to determine. Several of the original stones have clearly broken since they were originally laid in place and now appear to be two slabs instead of one. Those with ragged, interlocking cracks are easy to spot; others with clean breaks are more difficult. There are also a few short slabs that look suspiciously like 'patches' inserted to replace damaged portions of pathway. Depending on how you count, it is possible to arrive at a number anywhere between 268 and 274. Either way, the use of the word 'exactly' in discussion of this, or any other labyrinth, should be treated with caution, as labyrinths tend not to conform to exactitudes." ~ Jeff Saward Brenda
(Newbie question, again.) 
