The cathedral is recognized for many reasons; the numerous, magnificient stain glass windows (27,000 square feet of them) which introduced the world to a new color "chartres blue" and its elaborately sculpted choir screen. It also has the widest nave in France which contains an ancient labyrinth and was/is the goal of thousands of pilgrims to see its most sacred holding--the veil of Mary.
We also tried two of the local specialities from this area. As one of the VERY few places known in France for its beer, Anthony had to try one of those and the kids tried these adorable shortbread, (ginger)bread style cookies--very fun. For the rest of the morning we simply strolled through the town, picking our way through dozens of unique boutiques.
After lunch, we got back on the train until we hit a tiny town you never heard of...Jouy en Josas. So tiny, in fact, that the train stop does not even have a station. Typically French, it was fun to stroll through town to the only tourist attraction that it hosts, one which most tourists skip. A museum dedicated to the traditional French fabric known as "toile". Formally called "Toile de Jouy", it is a fabric I have always liked and this museum is dedicated to its creation and history. It was originally created by a man named Oberkamp in this little town and only recently a huge discovery of hundreds of original leather rolls used to create the repeat patterns were found in a barn and the museum was opened in what use to be his home.
They also had a fun exhibit on the history of the hot air balloon which the French invented. Andrew was given a neat little scavenger hunt to complete while we looked through this exhibit.
After this, everyone was beat so we headed home for a good night's sleep. 
No comments:
Post a Comment