Day trip to Chartres, France

Today was a lovely day. Jovanni, Danielle and I decided to get out of the city and take a day trip to the quaint little town of Chartres. It's only about an hour away by train, but we wanted to get there early, so we got up at the crack of dawn. Luckily, I took my daily cocktail of various vitamins and a big cup of my intense, French-pressed coffee, so I was ready to GO!

From the very first step out of my apartment building, I knew it was going to be a good day. At 6:45 on a Sunday morning, there was not a soul to be seen on the streets (VERY rare for Paris). The snow was delicately falling from the sky and lay untouched and perfect on the streets and sidewalks. It was perfectly silent and peaceful as I walked to the metro.

We met at the Starbucks in the station, boarded the train at Montparnasse and were on our way!




Some lasted longer than others....

 

Quote #1 of the Day

Danielle: "Wait, are we out of Paris now?!" (after the train had moved about 500 metres....)

 

The train ride was really quick, and before we knew it, we were in Chartres! The snow was really coming down and remained quite steady throughout the day!

 



 

Being back in a small town was incredibly refreshing for me and left me feeling all giddy. Small, quiet towns are definitely more my speed. Paris leaves me overwhelmed at times.

 

 

 

 

The first thing we did was walk to the main square in front of the famous Cathedral, Notre Dame de Chartres. Danielle and Jovanni promptly flopped on the ground and made snow angels (the first one ever for Jovanni!!).

 



 

 

Then, we really wanted to go inside the cathedral because it is famous for having some of the prettiest stained glass. We were lucky enough to sneak in and enjoy a wonderful Sunday service. After the service was over, we explored the cathedral and saw the windows in all their glory!

 



 

 

After church, we explored the adorable town some more. It is an incredibly quiet town (plus it was Sunday, so things are always quieter), which I found very peaceful.

 



 

Quote #2 of the Day

Danielle: "Oh my gosh, it's totally like Harry Potter. Let's go get Butterbeer!"

 

By then, it was around lunchtime, so we stopped by a little boulangerie, grabbed quiches and pizzas and continued our exploring.We seriously walked around the entire town and by the time we were done making the rounds, our bodies were FREEZING and we were in desperate need of shelter. We found an adorable brasserie and took sanctuary there. We sat at a beautiful bar and enjoyed espressos(then Danielle and I decided to go for seconds and get chocolat chaud and cafe creme). We sat in there for quite a while, thawing out and watching the snow fall outside the window. Finally, we decided to brave the cold and continue our journey.

 



 

Quote #3 of the Day

Danielle: "I love how the snow feels! It's like I'm walking on corn starch!"

Me: "Oh yes, I remember when I used to walk on corn starch...."

 

We walked and walked and twirled in some snow...

 

 ...until we discovered a park of some kind. It was a semi-wooded area where we had a glorious snowball fight and attempted to make snowmen and snowangels. Jovanni and I also continued to try and push Danielle over, because she was the only one who hadn't slipped and fallen in the snow yet.

 



 

Afterward, we discovered a garden behind the cathedral which was a beautiful area.



Quote #4 of the Day

Danielle: "Wait, is this where Beauty and the Beast took place?"

 

And that's when my camera battery died :)

 

We made our way back to the train station at around 3pm and were back in the city a little after 4. It was a beautiful day full of great, positive energy. Thank you, Danielle and Jovanni, for making my day so absolutely wonderful. You girls are so full of light and I love you both so much. I am so glad that I got to spend this gorgeous day with you two, it was so special.