Maison Ailleurs with gluten free breakfast

Another Place, another Time.

This is how I would love to start my journey to Chartres, with this sentence told me by Valérie Génique-Ennis, founder of Maison Ailleurs, a beautiful chambres d’hôtes in the heart of this lovely town: Another Place, another Time.

Actually it’s Valérie’s husband who used it for the first time to describe the feeling you have when you get off the train from Paris and you set your foot in Chartres, for the first time.

To me it was like Time slowed down, life started to disclose the pages of a different book, a book that has the breath-taking cathedral on the cover.

I have been dreaming about it since so long.

Would you like to know why?

Well, I came here chasing a ghost, a flittering image that I saw almost 10 years ago in the fantastic film by Orson Wells, F for Fake.

If you haven’t watched it yet, I would suggest you do.

It is a work of art.

In the middle of it “(…) the première work of men perhaps in the whole Western world and it’s without a signature: Chartres. A a celebration to God’s glory and to the dignity of men (…) Scientist keep telling us that the Universe is disposable. You know, it might be just this, one anonymous glory of all things, this rich stone forest this epic chant, this gaiety, this grand choiring chant of affirmation which we choose, when all of our cities are dust, to stand intact, to mark where we’ve been, to testify what we had in us to accomplish…” To quote some sentences from Mr Wells’s outstanding monologue.

It was lovely Claire from the blog Chartres sans gluten that suggested I spent a night at Maison Ailleurs where gluten free food is homemade, fresh and very good.

Maison ailleurs is situated in an ancient palais in Chartres that dates back to the 14^th century. Valérie and her husband bought it in 2012 and moved here from Paris with their family of 4 children and a dog. The love and the passion of Valérie about having people at home made her take the decision to transform part of the building in “chambres d’hôtes” that are SO beautiful!

When I stepped in, I felt like “home”: from the colours on the walls to the furniture, all the small details that you can picture here and there are meant to have you feel welcomed and at ease.

Valérie wanted to create a place where you could rest, take your time, pamper yourself a little and then get ready to visit Chartres.

I can tell you that she succeeded because Maison Ailleurs is a place where I felt I could be in peace: the beauty of the room, the delicious, pinky gluten free sweets waiting for me on the bed, the herbal teas I could prepare for myself, the gentle light of the garden coming in from the big, large windows created a unique, relaxing atmosphere.

The garden outside is actually a piece of heaven and during Summer you can have gluten free breakfast outside.

As I visited it in October and it was quite chilly outside, so I had breakfast in my room the morning after.

I chose to dispose it on the bed as I was dreaming about having a “real” bed and breakfast and everything was so good!

From the gluten free homemade fresh bread to the French chocolate fondant, the homemade jams of black cherries and orange, homemade yoghurt with red berries, teas, coffees, fresh juices, I felt so lucky, blessed and grateful.

As someone who has celiac disease like myself having such a breakfast where everything is fresh and good is a dream come true. Valérie baked everything by herself and she works with passion to make her gluten free recipes get better and better.

I think that 50% of the feeling you get from a place you visit, or maybe even more, is made by the people who live and work there.

Valérie is kind, open, smart, it was a such pleasure for me meeting her, chatting with her that she made my stay at Maison Ailleurs unforgettable.

Now I only wish to go back there soon and I hope that I made you want to do the same 😉

Maison Ailleurs is such a treat, with delicious gluten free on top!

I think that 50% of the feeling you get from a place you visit, or maybe even more, is made by the people who live and work there.

Valérie is kind, open, smart, it was a such pleasure for me meeting her, chatting with her that she made my stay at Maison Ailleurs really unforgettable.

Now I only wish to go back there soon and I hope that I made you want to do the same 😉

Maison Ailleurs is such a treat, with delicious gluten free on top!