Pre-tour and Days 1-2: Chartres
The Anticipation of Travel
What was it like to go on my first tour? In a word: thrilling! I was coming off a few years of stressful pandemic teaching while also balancing being a wife, mom, and trying to take care of myself during the uncertainty of the pandemic. The joy and anticipation of my upcoming tour gave me something to look forward to during a time in which life felt anything but familiar. Join me as as share my thoughts on my maiden voyage on a Rick Steves tour.
Away We Go
We flew on Icelandair from Seattle to Paris, with an easy one hour and 20 minute layover at Keflavik airport. The 7 hour flight to Iceland went by quickly, and we met several other Rick Steves travelers on our flight (who were going to be on different tours). Talking with fellow travelers only heightened our excitement. Our 3.5 hour flight to Paris CDG was easy and mainly spent sleeping.
Our original plan was to take the train to Chartres, but there was rail work on the train line, meaning our train options were severely limited. Thankfully the Rick Steves tour department made sure we knew this ahead of time. It was sunny and 100 degrees when we landed in Paris, so we were thankful that we booked a private transfer to Chartres. Despite our best efforts, we could scarcely keep our eyes open on the 1.5 hour trip to Chartres. Before we knew it, we were pulling up to our hotel. We arrived around 4:30 and got checked into our tour hotel, Hotel Campanile Chartres. Our room was tidy and comfortable, though the AC was not working.
After freshening up a bit, we went for a walk and made our way over to the cathedral. I remembered reading about Cafe Bleu on the Rick Steves forum and in the guidebook, so we had dinner there. My croque monsieur was delicious, as was the burrata we shared. After dinner, we got an ice cream and walked around the cathedral a bit, before going back to our hotel room and crashing by 9pm--the next day our tour would begin!
What was it like to go on my first tour? In a word: thrilling! I was coming off a few years of stressful pandemic teaching while also balancing being a wife, mom, and trying to take care of myself during the uncertainty of the pandemic. The joy and anticipation of my upcoming tour gave me something to look forward to during a time in which life felt anything but familiar. Join me as as share my thoughts on my maiden voyage on a Rick Steves tour.
Away We Go
We flew on Icelandair from Seattle to Paris, with an easy one hour and 20 minute layover at Keflavik airport. The 7 hour flight to Iceland went by quickly, and we met several other Rick Steves travelers on our flight (who were going to be on different tours). Talking with fellow travelers only heightened our excitement. Our 3.5 hour flight to Paris CDG was easy and mainly spent sleeping.
Our original plan was to take the train to Chartres, but there was rail work on the train line, meaning our train options were severely limited. Thankfully the Rick Steves tour department made sure we knew this ahead of time. It was sunny and 100 degrees when we landed in Paris, so we were thankful that we booked a private transfer to Chartres. Despite our best efforts, we could scarcely keep our eyes open on the 1.5 hour trip to Chartres. Before we knew it, we were pulling up to our hotel. We arrived around 4:30 and got checked into our tour hotel, Hotel Campanile Chartres. Our room was tidy and comfortable, though the AC was not working.
After freshening up a bit, we went for a walk and made our way over to the cathedral. I remembered reading about Cafe Bleu on the Rick Steves forum and in the guidebook, so we had dinner there. My croque monsieur was delicious, as was the burrata we shared. After dinner, we got an ice cream and walked around the cathedral a bit, before going back to our hotel room and crashing by 9pm--the next day our tour would begin!
Tour Days 1 and 2 in Chartres
Day 1
Our tour started the next day, on a Sunday. We met some fellow tour members from Louisiana at breakfast, and had a nice time getting to know them. We spent some time walking around Chartres and exploring near the cathedral, which had a church service going on. For lunch we shared a baguette sandwich and enjoyed sitting outside at a café. In the afternoon, we went back to the hotel to rest a bit before meeting our tour group.
Our welcome meeting was at 5pm and it took about an hour. We arrived early to show our negative covid tests and CDC cards. Our guide was Julie Sonveau, who was absolutely incredible. She is an American who lives in France, and her knowledge, humor, and dedication were evident in all aspects of the tour. During the meeting we had a few small snacks and some drinks, went over tour expectations and logistics, and chose our buddies. The buddy system is genius--you buddy up with someone not part of your traveling party. Instead of doing a headcount every time you go somewhere, you simply locate your buddy. If all buddies are present, you are good to go.
There were 26 people on our tour, including my mom and me, a family of three with a teenager, five people traveling together, several couples, and several solo travelers. After our welcome meeting, we re-grouped with our whisper phones and did a walking tour of Chartres before dinner at…Cafe Bleu! Dinner was excellent, with a chilled asparagus soup, roast chicken, a potato dish, and a chocolate brownie type dessert. A glass of wine was included with dinner. After dinner, we went to the hotel briefly, and it was starting to cool down and cloud up. I convinced my mom that we should walk over to the Chartres cathedral for the light show, so we did that despite stormy looking skies. Though it rained and there was some thunder and lightning, it was an incredible experience. After sprinting back to our hotel in the rain, we crashed hard while the thunderstorm raged on outside.
Day 1
Our tour started the next day, on a Sunday. We met some fellow tour members from Louisiana at breakfast, and had a nice time getting to know them. We spent some time walking around Chartres and exploring near the cathedral, which had a church service going on. For lunch we shared a baguette sandwich and enjoyed sitting outside at a café. In the afternoon, we went back to the hotel to rest a bit before meeting our tour group.
Our welcome meeting was at 5pm and it took about an hour. We arrived early to show our negative covid tests and CDC cards. Our guide was Julie Sonveau, who was absolutely incredible. She is an American who lives in France, and her knowledge, humor, and dedication were evident in all aspects of the tour. During the meeting we had a few small snacks and some drinks, went over tour expectations and logistics, and chose our buddies. The buddy system is genius--you buddy up with someone not part of your traveling party. Instead of doing a headcount every time you go somewhere, you simply locate your buddy. If all buddies are present, you are good to go.
There were 26 people on our tour, including my mom and me, a family of three with a teenager, five people traveling together, several couples, and several solo travelers. After our welcome meeting, we re-grouped with our whisper phones and did a walking tour of Chartres before dinner at…Cafe Bleu! Dinner was excellent, with a chilled asparagus soup, roast chicken, a potato dish, and a chocolate brownie type dessert. A glass of wine was included with dinner. After dinner, we went to the hotel briefly, and it was starting to cool down and cloud up. I convinced my mom that we should walk over to the Chartres cathedral for the light show, so we did that despite stormy looking skies. Though it rained and there was some thunder and lightning, it was an incredible experience. After sprinting back to our hotel in the rain, we crashed hard while the thunderstorm raged on outside.
Day 2
Our next day in Chartres, we had a walking tour through town, which was one of my favorite things in Chartres. I enjoyed the refresher on gothic architecture, complete with a demo thanks to some good sport tour members, as well as learning about the use of the arithmetic knotted rope. We then had a tour of the cathedral with Malcom Miller, who was incredibly knowledgeable, though a bit hard to hear. For lunch, we went to La Picoterie, where I had a delicious raclette crepe and a small cider, and my mom had a huge salad that was also quite good.
After lunch, we reconvened for the stained glass museum and presentation. It was interesting, though by that point, jet lag was hitting me hard. That night we had a lovely dinner outdoors at an Italian restaurant, and were also joined by two of our tour mates. Since it had been so rainy the night before, we decided to go see Chartres en Lumières one more time. It was just as magical the second time! Sometime after 11pm, we headed back to the hotel to pack up and collapse into bed.
Our next day in Chartres, we had a walking tour through town, which was one of my favorite things in Chartres. I enjoyed the refresher on gothic architecture, complete with a demo thanks to some good sport tour members, as well as learning about the use of the arithmetic knotted rope. We then had a tour of the cathedral with Malcom Miller, who was incredibly knowledgeable, though a bit hard to hear. For lunch, we went to La Picoterie, where I had a delicious raclette crepe and a small cider, and my mom had a huge salad that was also quite good.
After lunch, we reconvened for the stained glass museum and presentation. It was interesting, though by that point, jet lag was hitting me hard. That night we had a lovely dinner outdoors at an Italian restaurant, and were also joined by two of our tour mates. Since it had been so rainy the night before, we decided to go see Chartres en Lumières one more time. It was just as magical the second time! Sometime after 11pm, we headed back to the hotel to pack up and collapse into bed.