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8 Day French Gothic Cathedrals Tour
offered by supplier M19330 (view this supplier profile)
Key Information:
Tour Duration: 8
day(s)
Group Size: 2
- 12
people
Destination(s):
France
Specialty Categories:
Cultural Journey
Season: January - December
Airfare Included: No
Tour Customizable: Yes
Minimum Per Person Price: 1800 Canadian Dollar (CAD)
Maximum Per Person Price: 1800 Canadian Dollar (CAD)
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Your Itinerary:
Day 1: Arrive Paris. We settle into our hotel on the left bank. The late afternoon is free to explore Paris or to sit at a café and watch the world go by. Tonight we eat in a French bistro in the Latin Quarter.
Day 2: In the morning we walk to Ile-de-la Cite. This is the center of Paris and is anchored by the great Cathedral of Notre Dame de Paris that straddles the eastern end of the island. Begun in 1163, it has become the archetypical cathedral. Although it took 180 years to be completed, therefore straddling different Gothic styles, it is primarily considered an example of Early Gothic. The builders introduced many new architectural styles; flying buttresses and the pointed arch of the West Door, an Islamic influence.
We will have an opportunity to discuss and look at the detail of the West front; the West Rose Window, the parapet, the Gallery of Kings, and the Portals. Later in the day we will visit Sainte Chapelle, a small cathedral, representative of Late Gothic, also on Ile-de-la-Cite and often overlooked by visitors to Paris. This stage of Gothic is sometimes called rayonnat, for the radiant nature of the stained glass, where by design little stone is used to emphasize the stained glass. In fact Sainte Chapelle is ¾ stained glass and the sheer number and intensity can be overwhelming. In the evening we have dinner on the 1st level of the Eiffel Tower.
Day 3: After a continental breakfast we travel to Champagne and the great cathedral at Reims. The Kings of France were coroneted in this cathedral for over 700 years. The West façade is magnificent. It has 2300 statues; the gallery alone holds 56 statues of French Kings. The other prominent statuary is of angels, which the cathedral is noted for. Look for the smiling angel above the north portal on the west façade. The Rose Window is set within a larger window, an innovation first used at Reims. In the axial chapel we will see the Chagall Windows. Later in the day we will tour a local winery and that night eat at a local restaurant.
Day 4: We head north-west this morning crossing many of the battlefields of the First World War. In the afternoon we will reach Laon. Notre Dame de Laon is an example of Early Gothic architecture, more earthbound that Reims, its columns supporting the vault much bulkier than at Chartres. It is the best example of the transition from Romanesque to Gothic. We spend the night in Laon.
Day 5: Following breakfast we move on to Amiens. The cathedral is a truly defining example of High Gothic, the largest Gothic Cathedral in France, and along with Reims and Chartres among the most important. It was built to hold the head of John the Baptist, which is said to be in the reliquary to this day. The West façade is perhaps the finest in France, built in five years and justly harmonious. Inside, the flooring is made of a labyrinth in the center, as well as an interconnected design of swastikas. Verticality is enhanced by the height of the vault and the slenderness of the columns. We have dinner at a local restaurant and return to the cathedral in the evening to see the Son et Luminere, a light show that exposes the colours originally used on the statuary on the West façade. Visitors often speak of the statues coming to life during the light show. Overnight in Amiens.
Day 6: Today we are in Normandy, resonant in our own time, but our stop is in Rouen. The cathedral was painted twenty times by Monet, is home to the heart of Richard the Lionhearted, and famous for its Lantern tower. It is an example of the lanceolate style, form in the shape of lance head. Afterwards we will have a walking tour of the central part of the city, which is very medieval in places. In the afternoon we travel on to Chartres, arriving in time for dinner. We arrive from the east so that we can see the cathedral from its most famous vista, across the wheat fields of Beuce. After dinner we will have an opportunity to see the cathedral lit up.
Day 7: We spend the morning touring Notre Dame de Chartres, a cathedral that many consider the greatest in Europe. It is an example of High Gothic architecture and is unquestionably the most important, if not beautiful, Gothic cathedral. Built (actually rebuilt from a disastrous fire in 1194) within the space of twenty-five years the builders in effect froze our understanding and appreciation of Gothic architecture. The exterior emphasis is on vertically, with unequal spires added to the towers. The west façade also shows the transition to more humanized sculptures, with an elongation of the figures. On the sides are flying buttresses, necessary for creating the massive inner space in the cathedral.
The result is an interior elevation that is stunning and a nave that is breathtaking. The cathedral has the greatest stained glass windows of any cathedral and our guide will detail the meaning of the windows, including the justifiably famous Rose Window and Blue Virgin window. We will walk the famous labyrinth, take in the Black Goddess in the Apsidal Chapel, consider the sacred relic of the Veil of the Virgin and at the north door we will study a carving indicating that the crypt of the Cathedral is the final resting spot for the Ark of the Covenant. In the late afternoon we return to Paris.
Day 8: Return to Canada or spend optional time exploring Paris.
Member discount:
10% discount for InfoHub customer. Request a free gift certificate.
Notes:
Airfare is not included in the tour price.
Price Includes:
- 4 star Hotel
- Transportation
- Guide
- Admittance fees.
Also see tour packages in:
Europe
France
Local Culture
Cultural Journey
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