Day 4: Paris, France

Our second full day in Paris, Rich woke up early and went down to have breakfast...but Ryan slept in, so I kept him company, and we had a less exciting breakfast of a banana, mango yogurt and croissants from the nearby market. We set off around 10am in 60 degree weather, shivering a bit (we had anticipated warmer weather there) in a slight drizzle that soon cleared up. Little did we know that we were about to encounter one of the greatest sights I've ever witnessed...

We walked along the beautiful sidewalks of the Seine river, which I truly wished I'd had the stamina to have run it one day...as these are the runs I dream of (traffic-free, no lights, few pedestrians). Think cobblestone, trees and endless bridges (more than Dublin).

We quickly walked over the Notre Dame, which is still very much mid-way through it's construction renovation from the great fire of two or three years ago.

From there, we walked over to the nearby Sainte Chappelle, which was about to knock our socks off. To this day, I'm not sure how we missed it on our first trip together to Paris...or how Rich also missed it on his solo trip to Paris before we met.

 

Once we got to Sainte Chapelle, we knew there would be a bit of a line since Notre Dame was closed, and although it looked lengthy, we only stood in line about 30 min to get through security and purchase our tickets. Interestingly, because the chapel is next to the Justice Department's Supreme Court (Palais de Justice), we even went through their x-ray machines and body scanners.

When we entered the ground floor of the chapel, you see navy blue flying buttresses and some stained glass that beautifully Gothic, but once you ascend a short flight of stairs...

You suddenly find yourself staring a jaw dropped display of panels of stained glass that seem to soar! There are fifteen large panels that depict 1,100 different biblical scenes. To look at each one would be sensory overload...so instead, we just gawked in silence until we could speak.

One one end of the chapel is a mandala-like stained glass piece called the Rose Window. And across from it is an alter, meant to originally house the Crown of Thorns thought to be worn by a tortured Jesus Christ (which is now housed at Notre Dame Treasury). 

It's difficult to pull yourself out of there, as you can't help but feel the presence of God, or inspiration, or whatever it is that stops you in your tracks...but Ryan not so subtly told us it was time to move on after about 30 minutes of just standing in there, gaping. He always says, "Mom, it's all good for a few minutes, but you and dad take way too long and then it gets super boring." 

I will say, it definitely has to be in my Top Three Favorite religious houses of worship, ever. 

Once on the outside, I had to snap this shot, as it's the very unassuming exterior of Sainte Chapelle, which gives zero indication from it's dark black windows of what lies within.

The French Supreme Court and Saint Chapelle to the left background

Right near Sainte Chapelle is the Conciergie, a beautiful castle-like structure that hides the horror once held within (a prison for the condemned to die by guillotine). Marie Antoinette met her faint there, I believe.  We rolled right on past it (Ry is not such a fan of the various prisons, gore, executions, skeletons, dungeons, cemeteries, killing fields, etc. that we drag him to) and headed over to the Louvre area. We had lunch at a cafe/boulangerie called Bo & Mie, which had a long line to get in (so we figured it must be good).

I had a grilled veggie sandwich and a raspberry croissant that was pretty darn good.

We didn't head into the Louvre (had we done so, we might have been able to witness the protestor dressed as an old woman in a wheelchair who jumped out to smear cake on the Mona Lisa (she was fine), and instead walked around the city and once we showed Ryan the glass 'pyramides' of the Louvre.

Our final destination was the Galleries Lafayette Paris Houssman department store...full of high end goods, that looks more like an Art Deco art nouveau opera house than a giant store that requires three or four large buildings.

They also had a rooftop deck where patrons could pay to watch their favorite tennis match on the big screen, while the rest of us were in search of more city views.

It was impressive, but high end department stores are not really our scene, so we were happier at the Asian grocery store nearby. Ryan was happy to get snacks and ramune drinks he can't always find on the Big Island. 

Our day ended shortly after this shot was take atop the store, as we had clocked a 10-hour walking tour that covered 9 miles on foot...easy to do when it doesn't get dark until 10pm!