France: Versailles and Chartes

This has been a travel-filled year and, true to form, I'm way behind on blog posts.  Having just rambled down memory lane to write about Paris, though, I thought I'd post some photos from the rest of that trip to France in August 2010.


From Paris, we took the train to Versailles to see the palace in all of its gilded glory.  Sarah's friend Aureline met us for a picnic in the gardens before exploring inside the palace.  We spent the night at Aureline's parents' beautiful converted farmhouse near Chartes.  Chartes is best known for its Gothic cathedral, which boasts two contrasting spires and stained glass windows dating back to the 13th century.  The cathedral is remarkably well-preserved given that it has stood through the French Revolution and two World Wars!