Chartres Cathedral (Check it off the "to-do" list!)

Most people, well, most of my friends, have a "Life To-do List." I suppose I have one too. I remember writing out a long list one day in high school Chemistry class, but I can't exactly remember what is on that to-do list. Everything just escapes my memory -- all of it, except one place, Chartres Cathedral. In 10th grade Western Civilization class Mr. McBride assigned us a paper on architecture and art in cathedrals and for some reason, I chose Chartres Cathedral. Pouring into my research, I fell in love with the rich history, Gothic architecture, sculpture, and stained glass in Chartres. Yesterday Evelyn and I made the trek from Brussels to Paris to Chartres to see the famous cathedral. From the outside it looks like an ordinary place, a place weathered by 800 years, a fire, and two world wars. But the inside offers a glimpse into the past, telling the story of Christ's life, death, and resurrection through sculpture, Bible stories and tales of the lives of saints and theologians like Thomas Becket on stained glass windows, and the story of a Christian's journey to Jerusalem through the Labyrinth on the floor. With 174 stained glass windows and over 12,000 pieces of glass, to say it is an incredible place is a bit of an understatement. The pieces of glass on each window are so intricate and detailed that it is difficult to even guess which story the window tells. Though the windows are beautiful, they were constructed with the intention of teaching the Bible and the stories of the Church. No two windows are exactly alike in shape, color, or design, which is remarkable to me. I could go on forever about this place but I really won't do it justice. Ask me to see the book or better yet, if you are in Paris, take a day trip to Chartres and discover for yourself the pioneer of Gothic architecture, a place where Christians have worshipped since 1194.

After our visit to Chartres, we walked from Montparnesse train station across the Seine, past the Opera House to Montmartre and the Basilique De Sacre Couer. It took over 1 1/2 hours on foot, but the journey unveiled undiscovered parts of the city to me. Definitely worth the blisters on my feet. After the walk, we plopped down at a bistro in Montmartre for dinner, soaking in the melodies of the wailing singer that resembled George from "The Wedding Singer." AWESOME. We wanted to document the moment but there was really no inconspicuous way to take a picture in the restaurant from where we were seated. Just let your imagination run on that one. OH, and there was a screaming child on our train car that morning. I say this because Evelyn and I sat down in our seats on the way back, heard a familiar sound, looked up and realized "the screamer" was back. What are the odds?! The same child, on the same car, in the same train, both ways. YES!

I just want to say that today marks...
- 12 weeks in Brussels
- 12 1/2 in Europe
- 4 weeks left of work (11 workdays to be exact)
- 4 weeks of class (8 days) + 1 week of exams
- 5 weeks (from today) I will step foot in the US :)

BIG things to look forward to...
- Cologne next weekend + Fran and Sims come!
- Evelyn's 21st bday
- Solomons, Halls, Parkers and Wynns come for Thanksgiving
- FU London trip comes for Thanksgiving
- Stockholm
- Vienna
- Christmas markets, Christmas beer, Christmas music
- London at Christmas time