Chartres
Incredible night in Chartres! The light show started around 9:45 pm with 20 stunning installations scattered throughout the town. People were gathered in front of the north face of Chartres cathedral. The grand rosette shone under a spotlight. A recorded voice shared the cathedral's history in French and English over a speaker, though it was a bit hard to catch. Soon, music played, and the cathedral transformed. Figures descended on ropes, mimicking the acrobatics of placing its massive stones. Colors danced across the walls, outlining windows, arches, and columns. It's truly indescribable. The show kept going, with imaging of different tales within the big picture. There was the religious saga, the historical chapter with its wars, and the modern narrative. Seriously, it was mind-blowing. Charlie summed it up: "This is the most beautiful sight ever!" Absolutely a must-see for all! Fingers crossed we can return to witness more of the installations.
Getting ready for tomorrow's tour of Chartres Cathedral, Gabe was quizzing the boys, throwing out questions. He hit them with, "Do you know what flying buttresses are?" Then he challenged them to stack two by two pillows and make them stand. They figured out that those pillows needed support from the inside and the outside. That really got them excited for the tour and sparked some questions for our guide.
The following morning, Gabe organized a tour with Malcolm Miller. Who's he? An Englishman who dove into Chartres in the 50s and has been guiding tours since! Now nearly 80 and retired, he's a wealth of knowledge. A true expert on this place, from the old to the new testament, to architecture and more. We settled into the pews while he shared his wisdom. With a green laser pointer, he shared information, and we all tilted our heads back to soak it all in and grasp the incredible insights about this magnificent place. What did we glean? Well, so many things. A stained glass window featuring dual Adams - Adam of Adam and Eve, and Adam as Jesus. This image is believed to be unique here in the eyes of theologians. "Salem" derives from "Shalom," meaning peace. Over 150 original stained glass windows grace the site - the most anywhere. This marks the sixth cathedral on this sacred spot after its predecessors burned down. Pilgrims flocked to Chartres because it houses a piece of Mary's dress (silk) from Jesus' birth. The cathedral is undergoing a thorough cleaning process. Interestingly, one section alone takes over two years to finish. The challenge lies in meticulous care to avoid cleaning areas that were once painted but now appear black. We learned other tidbits too, and I'm sure they'll come back to me eventually. Right now, though, we're moving on, still buzzing from the once-in-a-lifetime experience with Mr. Miller. The boys were totally into it, firing off great questions and soaking in so much info. Merci! Now we are going to Paris to meet Brittany and Luna for a few days.
(weather report: It is cold, windy, and rainy!!! I am loving it. We have our handy umbrellas, but we left our warm layers in storage in Biarritz. Snap. We weren't expecting it to be this chilly. Oops!)
