Today we left our petite Parisian apartment for the wide open spaces of the french countryside. One last ride on the Metro took us to the Montparnasse railway station and our train to Chartres where we picked up our hire car. Luckily we arrived at 11.45, only 15 minutes before their 2 hour lunch break; as it was the woman serving us wasn't happy about having her lunch time taken up attending to us; and once the paperwork was completed and keys handed over she ushered us out the door, the roller door came down and she made a quick exit via the baqckdoor for her car and much awaited lunch and siesta.
After a trial run around the carpark to familarise myself with a lefthand drive car we launched ourselves into the Chartres traffic and the unsuspecting french motorists. Driving on the right hand side of the road certainly takes some getting used to and we had a few interesting moments.
Chartres has a grand cathedral, Notre Dame Chartres, similar Gothic style to Notre Dame in Paris, but with the most beautiful stained glass windows and still very much a Church that is used by the people - not just a tourist attraction; as we were leaving a wedding party arrived and we waited outside to catch a glimpse of the (Vietnamese) bride, who had to stand all alone outside the Cathedral and wait for her bridesmaids to arrive
A leisurely drive through the French countryside brought us to Chinon - our home for the next 3 nights. After trying to check in to the wrong hotel and then the right hotel being overbooked, we finally had a room and then a hearty traditional regional meal at the Maison de Rouge - very heavy and gamey!
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