There's no such thing as being lost in the Loire

***The keyboard on which I type this post is French and requires intense focus. Hence, this posting may be abbreviated, and will have spelling errors.***

Our trip began auspiciously when we were seated in the upper berth of an Air France 747 on our way from Boston to Paris. It's been a dream of mine since childhood, and it was finally realized. With that said, let the tale begin:

Due to the lasting effects of Ambien that Jenny and I had taken mid-flight, we arrived in Paris with the exuberance of a pair of barnacles. However, we weren't looking to repeat our 2008 blitz through Paris, and appropriately, we took things a little slower. We rented a Citroen the size of my toilet, and were told that GPS was not an option. Thus we resorted to a borrowed Michelin map. Despite the unexpected absence of a GPS friend, our first day was incredible.

As we maneuvered out of Charles de Gaulle airport, Jenny and I (increasingly improving from our Ambien induced comas) kept asking the other, "Can you believe we're here?!" Very exciting. While I thought I had everything planned on my 500+ cell spreadsheet, one thing I didn't plan for was morning rush hour traffic in Paris. Nevertheless, Jenny and made it to the belt route (with outstanding views of Paris away from the crowds) and on to Versailles.

Upon arrival in Versailles, we ate croissants at a "Boulangerie" (A bakery, not a place that sells worldly feminine undergarments), and grabbed peaches at a nearby fruit stand. Next, we walked up the long slope, past the equestrian statue of Louis XIV, to the Chateau that he built. In my pre-trip reading, I discovered that Louis was referred to as the Sun King (I believe at his own request) because we wanted to be associated with spreading good to everything he touched, similar to the sun's spreading of light to everything it touches. I believe that I also read something about the recent discovery of the sun as the center of the universe, and Louis desire to be thought of as a central figure in France and the world.

Versailles, with it's 10,000 rooms, peerless gardens, and abundance of gold trim, was Louis' statement regarding his place in the world. The Chateau de Versailles has since been a mecca for artists and architects throughout the West. Having read up on many of the political implications that the Chateau and its art had, Jenny and I discussed the relationships between displays of power and place in the late 1600s, and displays of power today. As we viewed a painting of Marie Antoinette and her children, Jenny told me that Marie, fearing that her reputation among French commoners was as a wealthy ne'r-do-good, had the painting commissioned and shown throughout France. The idea was to convince Frenchmen that Marie was actually a motherly chatracter. The French saw through it and cut her head off in the French Revolution. I noted that Hillary Clinton tried similar shenanigans in the 2008 Presidential Primaries (crying at a press conference to assure voters she was feminine enough) to no avail. While she didn't win the election, I think Hillary's head is safe for the foreseeable future.

Other interesting sights/comments at Versailles included: sun, crown, and fleur-de-lis motifs; the Hall of Mirrors - sight of the signing of the Treaty of Versailles, which officially ended WWI; King Louis XIV's East-facing bed chamber; general opulence; more tourists than I've ever seen; the western world's most immaculate gardens; and finally, a massive painting, given to the French by Venice as a token of their alliance.

After leaving Versailles, we attempted to make our way southwest towards Chartres. In the process, we got lost and came over a hill with a misty vista of Paris. Through all of the clouds, the Eiffel Tower stood as the king of the skyline. It was a serendipitous moment, reminiscent of my family's famous discovery of a NATO missile silo while looking for Highland cows in Scotland.

When we finally found our way to Chartres, we marveled at the Cathedral de Chartres, visible from twenty miles away, as it rises out of the countryside. Chartres was Jenny's first experience with European cathedral interiors. Aside from the interior of the Sagrada Familia, Chartres might be the best interior I have seen in Europe. Stained glass abounds, and there are 30+ half-sized stone carvings of moments from Christ's life, encircling the transept (?), including his birth, miracles, crucifixion, and resurrection. Chartres is also famous for the elaborate bas reliefs above the entryways, and for its two spires, built 300 years apart. The earlier of the two is very simple and stout. The latter spire, built in the 1500s (?), is much more elaborate. I don't claim to be an art history expert (or even an enthusiast), but it was interesting to see what the same community, allotted different technological resources, was able and willing to do. One thing I didn't realize was that Chartres was a destination for people all over Europe, as the Cathedral honoring Mary.

The best part of our day was the drive to ad arrival in Onzain, the city where our first and best hotel was located. I marveled as we drove through town after quaint town, with names like Allaines, Cercottes, and Fraiville. Each town was literally a row of homes and shops on either side of the narrow road. Stylish homes, made out of hewn stone and slate or red tile roofs, are a dime a dozen. They all have green or orange or grey moss growing on the sides. If homes had the "5 o'clock shadow", this would be it. It's kind of like, "I could take care of this, but I know it looks good the way it is. If it gets out of control I'll do something about it." As we drove throught the last town I thought to myself, "I'd love to see what the French could do with Scipio."

Unfortunately I'm being kicked off the computer right now. Tomorrow or the next day I will write about our stay at Travel and Leisure Magazine's 2009 Best Hotel in Europe, and our visit to Mont St. Michel.