2 August ’05, Tuesday.
Our walk into Troyes continued… I’ve just got to get used to the businesses closing from noon to 2 or 3. And the other closing that I’ve got to really get used to, is the early closing of the restaurants. They are usually open from 11am until 2, but then too close. They will re-open about 5 or 6 and go until at least 9pm. Anyway, after we finished lunch we made a casual tour of Troyes. It’s an amazing town architecturally. You are really transported back to the “Medieval and Renaissance” times with the “half-timbered” houses. Quite a few of them have already been brought back through rehab. Even today, they are seems like they are taking the whole town on. Plaster, wood, bricks, and slate are all being taken off and new put on. The thing is, they are doing it right, as you would have a tough time telling new from old when they are through. Also, the original pastel colors that were once found here are now being used again. The streets are cobbled stones, narrow, and winding. When you look down one of the narrow side streets, what you see is very unique. The buildings seem to bend and twist and then, almost touch at the roofs. It is almost like they are swaying in the breeze. Now Troyes is not a large town, but there must have been a reason for the people to have needed 8 churches, one synagogue, and a huge cathedral on top of all that. You will only walk a block, turn your head to the right or left, and there is another church. The Jewish Synagogue Rachi, is very simple and dates back to 1040. The Cathedral of St. Pierre St. Paul on the other hand, is known as having the largest collection of stained glass in the world. I have never seen so many beautifully crafted windows. It has over 1500 square meters of stained glass, and most of them have come from the craftsman of the 13th through the 16th centuries. We even came across an archeological site right in the middle of Troyes. It seems that they have found another very important church. Well, speaking of churches, one thing that we have found being back in Europe, is that we can enjoy the ringing of the church bells. As we awake in the morning and as we make it through the day and night, we hear the bells…what the heck happened to the bells at home ??? Speaking of home…we needed a wash day and we got a great day to wash, so that’s what we did today…washed clothes. Tomorrow…Fountainebleau and then onto Chartres
Our walk into Troyes continued… I’ve just got to get used to the businesses closing from noon to 2 or 3. And the other closing that I’ve got to really get used to, is the early closing of the restaurants. They are usually open from 11am until 2, but then too close. They will re-open about 5 or 6 and go until at least 9pm. Anyway, after we finished lunch we made a casual tour of Troyes. It’s an amazing town architecturally. You are really transported back to the “Medieval and Renaissance” times with the “half-timbered” houses. Quite a few of them have already been brought back through rehab. Even today, they are seems like they are taking the whole town on. Plaster, wood, bricks, and slate are all being taken off and new put on. The thing is, they are doing it right, as you would have a tough time telling new from old when they are through. Also, the original pastel colors that were once found here are now being used again. The streets are cobbled stones, narrow, and winding. When you look down one of the narrow side streets, what you see is very unique. The buildings seem to bend and twist and then, almost touch at the roofs. It is almost like they are swaying in the breeze. Now Troyes is not a large town, but there must have been a reason for the people to have needed 8 churches, one synagogue, and a huge cathedral on top of all that. You will only walk a block, turn your head to the right or left, and there is another church. The Jewish Synagogue Rachi, is very simple and dates back to 1040. The Cathedral of St. Pierre St. Paul on the other hand, is known as having the largest collection of stained glass in the world. I have never seen so many beautifully crafted windows. It has over 1500 square meters of stained glass, and most of them have come from the craftsman of the 13th through the 16th centuries. We even came across an archeological site right in the middle of Troyes. It seems that they have found another very important church. Well, speaking of churches, one thing that we have found being back in Europe, is that we can enjoy the ringing of the church bells. As we awake in the morning and as we make it through the day and night, we hear the bells…what the heck happened to the bells at home ??? Speaking of home…we needed a wash day and we got a great day to wash, so that’s what we did today…washed clothes. Tomorrow…Fountainebleau and then onto Chartres
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