Chartres

Chartres is twinned with Chichester - but other than them both having cathedrals, and they both start with the letter C, they don't have a lot in common. Chartres is on top of a hill and it feels like climbing a cliff face to get there. The cathedral, although looking impressive from the outside, was frankly a bit of a disappointment inside. Very dark, and windows small and high upleading to an overall sense of gloom, not helped by the fact that the internal stone work seems to have the accumulated grime of several hundred years. They do seem to be in the process of cleaning it, so things should improve.

Chartres Tourist Information Office is a fine half timbered building, and there are also many sites in the city that make a visit worthwhile.

We found an aire off the main road in a small village a few miles outside the city. Although the Aires guidebook said there were good shops in the village, there were only a couple of shops left trading, one of which was a restaurant. Although looking somewhat unimpressive from the outside, we had a remarkable five course meal, that didn't leave us feeling too bloated, for an astonishing 22 Euros. There was only one waiter, and he was managing 12 diners at 5 tables, in quite a relaxed manner. Amazing !