Finally a sunny day here in Paris, at least for the morning. We took the metro to the Montemartre arrondisement so we could see the Basilica of the Sacre Coeur, located at the summit of a hill which is the highest point in the city of Paris. There are lots of steps to make it to the top. I'm proud to say we didn't take the funicular, which is a tram for people unable or unwilling to climb.
The interior of the church was OK, but they wouldn't let us take photos. From the top, you can see all over Paris, if it's a clear day. Worth the trip I think.
We had lunch at Petit Chatelet, which is near Notre Dame. I really liked our appetizer, which was goat cheese and pesto in a pastry dough.
My entree was sea bass and scallops with vegetables and some kind of sauce. I really liked it.
Dan had duck breast and a potato vegetable cake. He said it was OK, not great.
After lunch, we walked past Notre Dame again, but still huge crowds. We toured a dozen cathedrals in Germany where it wasn't very crowded and you could take as many photos as you wanted in the interior. If you want to see cathedrals, I highly recommend Germany.
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| Outside of Notre Dame |
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| A nearby garden |
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| This photo clearly needs to be straightened. I think this is the Palais du Justice also really near Notre Dame. |
Next, we visited Sainte Chapelle which is a royal medieval gothic chapel, located near the Palais du Justice, on the Ile de la Cite in the heart of Paris.
Begun some time after 1239, Sainte Chapelle was completed on the 26th of April 1248;[. Its constuction was commissioned by King Louis IX to house his collection of passion relics (such as bones and body parts of saints), including Christ's crown of thorns (right) - one of the most important relics in medieval Christendom.
I first became interested in cathedrals after reading Ken Follett's Pillars of the Earth. One of my favorite books of all time.
They did allow some photos of the interior of Sainte Chapelle. The stained glass windows were really impressive. The rose window is 9 meters across.
The Musee d'Orsay-WOW! It is housed in the former Gare d'Orsay, an impressive railway station built between 1898 and 1900. The museum holds mainly French art dating from 1848 to 1915, including paintings, sculptures, furniture, and photography. It houses the largest collection of impressionist and post-impressionist masterpieces in the world, by such painters such as Monet, Manet, Degas, Renoir, Cezanne, Seurat, Sisley, Gaugan and Van Gogh.
I've seen many of the above mentioned artists' works at various museums, but never knew about the work of the artists mentioned below. These are some of our favorite paintings we saw today and glad we learned about some different artists.
Gustave Moreau-Hesiode et la Muse 1891
Paul Serusier The Washer Women
Pierre-Cécile Puvis de Chavannes--The Pigeon
Speaking of which, when we left the museum as it was closing, it was raining. We made our way through a neighborhood looking for a Metro stop to take us back to the hotel. On the way, we found another bakery. I think bakeries are my favorite thing about Paris.
We bought food to take home for dinner-a ham and cheese sandwich on magnificent baguette, a strawberry tart, a raspberry pastry, and four caramel macaroons. Macaroons in Paris are nothing like the ones in America. They are a soft cookie with a filling and come in many different flavors. They are unbelievably delicious. Even better than the pastries.
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