Chartres Cathedral, Photo credit Marga Wierenga

Chartres, France 2012 – Part #1

Julianne and I had been in Europe for 48 hours. After arriving in Frankfurt Germany the day before, picking up our friend Helen after a great day and night sleep, we drove 13 hours to arrive in Beautiful Chartres. It was dusk as we drove towards the famous Chartres Cathedral Steeples. We were immediately transported. Both Helen and I had read a great deal about this magnificent building and all the Lore surrounding it. We had to go straight to it. It was almost dark as we stood in front of her for the first time. Beautiful lights of purple and green were splashed against her beautiful frame. We felt enchanted. There was a hush in the air. Only the 3 of us were there at that very moment. It was our time with Her. We took some pictures to find out later that we had captured some Orbs even on the outside. Stomach growls pulled us back to our car. Time to find our hotel and get some nourishment. In front of our Hotel an outdoor party was in full swing with Wonderful French musicians playing as people laughed and danced around the outdoor patio. The town itself was lit up with colors everywhere highlighting many of its buildings. Our enchantment grew. We found a little sushi restaurant close to the Hotel that was still serving. We walked in to secure a seat for us. As Julianne walked by a table of two French ladies dining she reached onto their plate of Sushi, helped herself to a piece of Sushi and kept walking. I was mortified. Oh My God- All the stereotypes of the French people I had heard …what was going to happen now? Flashes of all types of possibilities lit up my mind. In that time of filtering what may happen a Miracle occurred. One of the women stood up with the plate of Sushi and handed it to Jules. She was letting us know Julianne was welcome to it. I wish I had a movie camera rolling with us at that very moment. It was such a beautiful exchange. Simple yet poignant. It eradicated every belief I had “inherited” about the French. It sang of hope for our planet- that human beings could give so freely of “theirs” to a stranger in a strange land. I was in Awe. 48 hours into our trip magic was ablaze. I thanked the woman profusely, gave Julianne a teaching on proper Restaurant etiquette and bathed in the beauty of miracles. Tucking Julianne into bed that night I was pooped but I was happy. We had 5 weeks of the unknown ahead of us. GPS less, Three Amigos travelling 6000 km together – One of us diagnosed with Autism, this was going to prove a memorable journey. And so it was.