Cathédrale de Chartres

To change things up a little bit, the last stop was not a castle, but a cathedral. Though not just any cathedral: la cathédrale de Chartres, known for its incredible stained glass windows and the remarkable bleu de Chartres - the royal blue color found in the windows.

 Chartres is considered a near-perfect example of High Gothic architecture: details, details, details, towers reaching sky-high and more flying buttresses than you can imagine to support all that lift.

 Flying buttresses

There is a beautiful labyrinth inlaid in the floor of the cathedral

 One example of Chartres blue and the beautiful stained glass

The southern façade

After Chartres, it was time for our habitual afternoon snack in a tea room - with coffee, tea or hot chocolate and a pastry of our choice. I had Earl Grey and a raspberry tartelette as we went around the table and each shared our favorite site from the excursion. The perfect way to end a lovely trip.