Update

Hello everyone, I realize it has been more than two weeks from my last post and I apologize.
It is just that I have been extremely busy lately so busy that I have hard time finding even 5 minutes of free time.

Anyways I promise that I will post about the last two weeks when I have a little bit more time but for now I will leave you all with a snap shot of yesterday :)

At UNESCO, Paris.

Second day in Chartres

Now for my second day in Chartres.

This second day was much calmer than the first but equally as culturally enriching and enjoyable in the company of Soline.

The main highlight of the day was our visit to the International Stained-Glass Center.

The center founded in the 1980's is located in and above the old Tithe Barn ( a medieval cellar of the 13th century).Through the marvelous stained glass exhibits ( a permanent historical one on ground level and a contemporary one below) it was fun to learn about this glorious art form. Interesting in all levels, it was even more exciting to see the stained glass up so close and as a result it gave me a chance to truly appreciate just how meticulously they are made.

At the entrance of the permanent exhibit

In front of my favorite contemporary piece.

From here you can see the architectural beauty of the ancient cellar.

As for the rest of the afternoon I spent it talking with Soline, on a variety of agreeable topics. By that night I was back in La Ferte a bit reposed and ready for the rest of the week.

Last image taken of Chartres (in the car)..

Pictures of evening of first day in Chartres

A destination for pilgrims for over a thousand years, the Cathedral of Chartres, located on the plain of Beauce, was severely damaged by a number of fires. The façade and one of the spires date from the 12th century, the second spire was built in the 16th century on a 12th century base while the nave and chancel go back to the 13th century. 

The following pictures where taken from the top of the Jehan de Beauce tower, where (as you will see) visitors can enjoy superb views of the surrounding country and take a close-up look at the Cathedral’s Gothic architecture

Soline in front of the bells.

After seeing Chartres from the highest point of the cathedral we decided to descend to the undergrounds and visit the crypt. The crypt, dated from 11th century is one of the cathedral elements that was saved from damages of 1194 fire. It practically measures the same width as the cathedral and is consider as the largest one in all France and the third largest in the world (after St. Peter in Rome and Canterbury in England).

Lastly here are the pictures that I took on the way back that evening.

Then later that night after resting a bit we headed out once again to see the illuminations.The illuminations/light show take place every year from June to mid- September and are shown on the church and other historic buildings throughout the city. 

The old post office which is now the city's library.

The cathedral and main attraction.

The auction center.

At Soline's in Chartres ( Day 1 )

As I mentioned in my last blog post things are coming to an end an at a heart breaking pace.
In conjunction to this Tuesday I decided to send out an e-mail to my Rotary club, in order to see if anyone was interested in having me over for some of the few dates that remain.

And as always the mebers of my dear rotary club were kindly proactive and that same night I had an invitation to spend two days at Soline Legué's house in Chartes.

The morning of day one, upon awakening I went to the boulangerie with Soline to search the days bread and my breakfast; a warm pain au chocolat.

We then stopped by the cheese shop ( for more details read my blog post "Fromagier en Chartes") and the grocery shop. Then after less than five minutes of being home I started hearing what sounded like a marching band.

So we went to check it out and this is what I saw:

In fact May 8th in France is a public holiday in commemoration off the end of WWII. French flags are displayed on any public building and ceremonies are fulfilled in a large cities. And what I though was a marching band was actually the announcing band for the local event.

Might I mention that at the event Soline and I were interviewed by a journalist..
This was one of the articles in the paper the next day:
http://www.lechorepublicain.fr/eure-et-loir/actualite/pays/pays-chartrain/chartres/2013/05/09/police-six-medailles-et-des-hommages-1544237.html
Unfortunately we were not in the paper but maybe next time.

We then ate a nice little lunch and were soon off to see the Chartres Cathedral ( photos will be on a separate post) and finished the afternoon by a walk around the old city center.

Fromagier en Chartes

While I was at Soline's house these past two days we embarked on several little adventures. The following is of our trip to the cheese stop in order to buy cheese for her son (and for ourselves)  who she will be visiting in Belgium tomorrow.

Here is a picture of the store card:

And below you have an image of the plentiful amount of cheeses you can buy for just a little under 85 dollars..




Now I will introduce you one by one to some of our stinky characters.

Marie Harel, created the original Camembert cheese from raw milk, in Normandy, France, in 1971. Today, however, a very small percentage of producers make cheese from raw milk with the same process as Marie Harel would have used. Those that do produce cheese using this method can legally call their cheese Camembert Normandie under the AOC guidelines. However, the production of Camembert cheese has now transcended the AOC designation. Very good varieties of Camembert cheese made from pasteurized milk can be found in Normandy today. The best of them is the Camembert Le Châtelain.

*THIS CHEESE IS ONE OF MY FAVORITES

Produced at the Abbaye Notre-Dame de Bonne Espérance (our Lady of Good Hope) in the Dordogne, near Double in France, Trappe Echourgnac is made from pasteurized cow’s milk. The Abbey produces two versions of the cheese; a traditional recipe based on Port Salut and a newer version of the same cheese but washed with walnut liqueur (pictured)
* THIS CHEESE IS NOT FOUND IN A SUPERMARKET

Reblochon AOC is a semi-soft, washed-rind and smear-ripened mountain cheese that originated at the heart of the massif des Aravis, in the Thônes region of Haute-Savoie in France. The cheese was decreed as an A.O.C. cheese in 1958 and therefore is subject to strict rules and regulations. It is a lightly pressed, uncooked cheese, made from full-cream unpasteurized milk. Thirteenth century fables tell of Savoie herdsmen who carried out an incomplete milking of the cows in order to reduce their ‘taxable’ production of milk. After the rent was paid to the landowners, they went back to ‘remilk' (reblocher) the cows. The second milking of cows yielded a milk rich in fat and was used to make Reblochon.
*ALSO ANOTHER CHEESE I ADORE

The French “Gruyère” is a milk-based cheese made in Savoie and Franche Comté. It bears a cooked, pressed texture, of which the round piece has an average weight of 88 lbs. The round piece’s height is between 5.1 and 6.3 inches for a diameter between 20.9 and 24.8 inches. During production, the cheese develops holes, which vary in size. During maturation, it develops a pleasant strong and fruity taste. Its ideal consumption period runs from June to December, after eight to 12 months of maturing.
The geographical zone of production stretches from Haute-Saône’s plateau in the North to Savoie in the South.
The milk dedicated to Gruyère’s production comes only from dairy herds composed of Abondance, Tarentaise, Montbéliarde, Vosgienne and French Simmental breeds of cows.
France’s Gruyère designation must not be mistaken with its Swiss homonym. The international Stresa Convention on cheeses in 1951 recognized the word “Gruyère” as both a French and Swiss property, both countries possessing the right to use it.
This recognition in PGI allows the preservation of a cultural and gastronomical heritage. Previously, only the Swiss “Gruyère” could claim a geographical designation. The distinction between the two cheeses, apart from their place of production, is based on whether the cheese has holes. The French Gruyère is the only kind to present this characteristic.

Saint-Nectaire is a French cheese made in the Auvergne region of central France. The cheese has been made in Auvergne since at least the 17th century. Its name comes from the Marshal of Senneterre (a linguistic corruption of "Saint-Nectaire"), who served it at the table ofLouis XIV. The Marshal of Senneterre is also responsible for the introduction of Cantal and Salers.
*ATE THIS CHEESE TONIGHT RATHER THAN A PROPER DESSERT 

Tomme de Savoie is a variety of Tomme cheese from Savoie in theFrench Alps. It is a mild, semi-firm cow's milk cheese with a beige interior and a thick brownish-grey rind.

Chevre is French for Goat’s cheese i.e. cheeses made out of goat’s milk. They are popular among elderly and children who are more likely to show low tolerance to cow’s milk. Also, goat cheeses are lower in fat, and higher in vitamin A and potassium. They serve as a perfect substitute for many dieters. A majority of goat cheeses come from France, the most famous among them being Bucheron, Chabis and Crottin de Chavignol.
*DO NOT BE FRIGHTENED BY THE MOLD THIS CHEESE CAN BE MIGHTY GOOD 

Brie au poivre (Brie with pepper) originally belongs to classic French Bries family. The cheese is characterized by its unique peppery crust which adds rustic flavor to sandwiches. The creamy and buttery taste of the cheese goes well with a rich Pinot Noir or Beaujolais.
*NOW WHY WOULD YOU ADD PEPPER TO SOMETHING ALREADY SO GOOD?

French cheese made from unpasteurized cow's milk in the Franche-Comté region of eastern France. 
*I HAVE SEEN THIS CHEESE BEEN EATEN IN ENORMOUS QUANTITIES

My goodness I hope that you made it all right through my post. Imagine if I reported on every cheese I ate here in France.. we would be sitting at the computer for hours.