Chartes, Paris

Leclerc Hypermarket

After having our breakfast on the third day, we packed and drove towards Paris. We had planned to go Versailles as it was on the way but Versailles was closed on Monday, so we decided to visit Chartes instead. Chartes is a small town south of Paris. Before hitting Chartes, we went to the local French hypermarket, Leclerc, as recommended by Gloria. It was just 20 min drive from Amboise.

I wished I had more time there. There were so many frenchy things to see and buy and they are cheaper than Paris centre and even Singapore for some items. I found my ramekins for less than 1 EUR each. Back home, ramekins are rare and cost more than S$10 per piece. But because I was worried about the luggage space, I only bought 2. Stupid! Thinking back, what is the bloody difference between 2 and 4??!! Anyhow, my hubby also bought his glass tea pot with strainer, which he had been looking for, at just 12 EUR. Other things we bought included oven mitt (made like a long thick cloth with the mitts at the ends), strawberry jam, nutella sticks and mineral water.

Notre-Dame de Chartres

At first, we were a little puzzled about 2 Notre Dames in France. Turns out Notre Dame simply means 'Our Lady', so the cathedral in Paris is called Notre-Dame de Paris. The Notre Dame in Chartes is one of the great monuments of Europe and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. After visiting both, we thought that the one at Chartes one is more awesome that the Paris one as it is more 'raw' and less touristy. In fact, there were less than 20 pple in the cathedral when we were there.

We parked at a roadside parking lot and climbed the steps to the cathedral. (Bottom)

View from the top. A couple of kids were having a quiet picnic at the grass patch. There were a number of schools nearby but our entire visit there was very peaceful and quiet.

Various views of the cathedral. (Bottom)

The interior of the cathedral was dark and quiet, not as 'impressive' and touched up as the famous one in Paris. In fact, many of the sculptures and walls and ceilings were dirty-looking and blackish, compared to the one in Paris, which were cleaned up and and given a fresh coat of paint. But we thought this one was more authentic and awe-inspiring. It also helped that we didn't have to squeeze with a hundred other tourists to truly enjoy the place.

As there weren't many people, we paid 7.50 EUR to climb up the tower. Boy, it was tough. The spiral steps was made of stone and very narrow. We had to stop a few times to catch our breathe and catch the rope for support. But the view was worth it. (Bottom)