Kelly in Honfleur on the day we didn't go to Chartres
A few months ago a good Slow Travel friend and I discovered that we would be in northern France at the same time. Ginger (suncoast) and her husband Craig would be staying in the Loire Valley during the time we were in Honfleur. Although our locations would be four hours apart, we decided to meet at a half-way point: Chartres, famous for its massive Gothic cathedral. We would explore the town, have lunch, and go on a tour of the cathedral.
Ginger and I were both psyched about the Chartres plan. We posted on the Slow Travel message board and got all kinds of great input, which fueled our anticipation. One friend Brenda (BGE) posted especially helpful information, including a link to her trip report about her day at Chartres last year, including her experience walking the labyrinth. Ginger and I were both very interested in the Chartres labyrinth. Many people probably think a labyrinth is a hedge maze—a puzzle or game of sorts—but I had taken a short class at a health spa last spring and had walked a “copy” of the Chartres labyrinth there. I knew that a real labyrinth is a meditative experience, and as various Slow Travelers gave us more insights, the opportunity to walk the labyrinth at Chartres with Ginger became an important part of my plan for Normandy. We ended up scheduling our get-together for Friday, the only day of the week that the labyrinth was available. (It is inside the cathedral and apparently normally covered by chairs.)
While we were in Ireland and had our only opportunity to check the internet, I saw an extensive posting on Slow Travel that Ginger had developed serious back problems—so serious that she and Craig ended up canceling their long-awaited 50th birthday trip. I felt so badly for Ginger, but I was overwhelmed at the support and love that flowed for her from the “regulars” on Slow Travel. I told Charley and Kelly that I still wanted to make the trip, partly as some sort of tribute to Ginger. I knew Charley and Kelly would enjoy the architecture a lot, but quite honestly, I couldn’t quite imagine either of them walking the labyrinth with me and having some deep cosmic experience. I thought perhaps they could go get an ice cream somewhere nearby.
This morning we set the alarm for an early departure to Chartres. It was drizzling outside when we woke up... not a good sign. Charley and I looked at each other in the little attic bedroom. We’d spent five hours in the car yesterday and have a four hour drive tomorrow. Now the weather wasn’t great. And our trip to Chartres was no longer a Slow Travel get-together—I wouldn’t get to meet Ginger or share the labyrinth experience with her. It wasn’t going to be the same.
“Let’s not go to Chartres after all,” I said to Charley. “I don’t want to drive all that way. I know we can go another time. Let’s just stay in Honfleur today.”
We ended up having a lazy day: we visited the Eric Satie museum (most unique museum I’ve ever visited), went to the internet café, had lunch at the waterfront, explored more of the village, read back at our cottage, started packing up, had dinner at a raclette and fondue place. We never even used the car. We didn’t do anything very exciting, but we still had a very enjoyable day in Honfleur.
I feel badly that we didn’t go to Chartres—partly because of all the discussion we’d had on Slow Travel and mostly because I’d wanted to go for Ginger, celebrating her birthday back in Florida instead of France and struggling with her back problems.
But travel is often like this, and you don’t always end up having the experience you planned. The weather, your mood, your health, traffic, other possibilities—things happen that cause you to deviate from your original plan. Our family tries to stay flexible. Sometimes we like having a day where we don’t do much at all. We found on our long trip that you can only do so much sightseeing. Sometimes we just enjoy living our lives in another venue.
I know I’ll always come to France, so I know that I’ll visit Chartres and walk that labyrinth some day. Maybe I’ll even be there with Ginger and some other Slow Travel friends. I hope so.
