Cathédrale Notre Dame de Chartres

Lucky for me, Mary had visited the cathedral previously and knew that the area around the church are not to be missed. We left through the doors to the right and had a lovely walk around the church. It was one of the few blue sky days we'd had and were most appreciative.

Cathedral Notre-Dame de Chartres IV

As we made our way around the church, I was drawn to this scene. A class of students were there sketching using the flashlights of their cell phones! I was careful not to intrude but I had to get a little closer to see what they were doing, of course. I often marvel at how fortunate French students are to be able to take a short field trip to such historic places.

Cathédrale Notre Dame de Chartes III

One of the main reasons I have always wanted to visit this cathedral is to walk the labyrinth. For future visitors please note that on most days, the labyrinth is covered with chairs, but on Fridays they are moved aside. It's a large one so I walked it to the center, then quietly walked out of it. I"m sure the church members stationed in chairs on the perimeter gave me disapproving looks! The problem with a labyrinth obviously, is that it's almost impossible to photograph from ground level. This is the best I can offer. If you click HERE you can see an aerial view.