Our last full day in Paris. I’ll concentrate on the highlights, but it’s not quite done. I’ll share some odds and ends with you tomorrow.
Then we’ll be done.
We had our breakfast and walked down Rue de Rennes toward the Seine.
I never get tired of seeing the wrought iron balconies or the beautiful color of the stone.
Two cafés: Café de Flore and Les Deux Magots. Both very famous and known for the literary figures who frequented them. There is a church right next to Magots, Église de Saint Germain des Prés. It’s beautiful and we visited it both last year and this year. It’s the oldest church in Paris.
This year, there’s some renovation work going on inside, so parts of the nave and sanctuary are unavailable. It has the most beautiful little garden and a concert series. On the fence surrounding the garden, we saw this:
Needless to say, we were greatly interested in this poster and in the man who is behind this series, “I’m not a trophy.” His name is Arno Elias and he runs an organization “dedicated to creating greater awareness for the rapid extinction of endangered species around the world.” Elias is a French artist and photographer. The ambassador for the campaign is model and actress, Cara Delevingne.
After spending quite a bit of time looking at this provocative piece of art and wishing we could see more, we continued walking a few feet, crossed the street, and then realized that the gallery hosting the exhibition was right there! So we went in.
I cannot tell you how powerful it is. We really wanted to buy a print but the one we wanted was no longer in stock.
A couple of the originals on display:
This lion was our favorite, but every piece was extraordinary.
And one more:
This was one of the most powerful parts of our trip for me. And totally unexpected.
Taken from upstairs in the gallery; Les Deux Magots on the left, Café Bonaparte on the right.
Yes, we stopped at Ladurée and bought one more box of macarons.
I ended up carrying this box by hand through the airport, onto the plane, and all the way to the cottage.
Melanie mentioned that neither she or her husband like meringue, which is the base for macarons. Neither do I. But I LOVE macarons. They’re another thing entirely.
On to the Seine.
We passed by this door.
And came to the Seine.
That’s Île de la Cité to the right, which is where we’re headed.
But first, Don asked someone to take a picture of us.
Don is holding the ubiquitous Ladurée bag.
We crossed over to the Île, and walked down the street bordering the Seine until we got to Notre Dame, which can only be seen from a distance right now. Then we turned left and headed toward a street that might take us to Sainte-Chapelle, an extraordinary gem that I learned about last year on Instagram, after we’d visited Paris. We’re pretty good at figuring out how to get someplace in Paris and our instincts were right. We ended up here:
The gates to the medieval Palais de la Cité, the residence of the Kings of France until the 14th century. The chapel lies within the exterior walls surrounding the Palace (now an administrative complex) in the courtyard, something I didn’t know until we got there. The line forms on the outside, and winds its way inside the walls. (That’s the spire of Sainte-Chapelle on the left.)
Sainte-Chapelle was “commissioned by King Louis IX of France to house his collection of Passion relics, including Christ’s Crown of Thorns.” – Wikipedia. (The crown was eventually moved to Notre Dame and it survived last year’s fire.) The chapel was commissioned in 1238 and consecrated in 1248.
It was damaged during the French Revolution, restored in the 19th century, and the most recent restoration – to clean the stained glass and the stonework – was completed in 2015. “It has one of the most extensive 13th-century stained glass collections in the world.” – Wikipedia.
The exterior, including the Rose Window.
A peek at the stained glass.
We went inside to this beauty:
An exquisite little chapel. It was beautiful. But I was confused because it didn’t look the photographs I had seen and I became worried that I had come to the wrong place. Eventually, we realized there were narrow winding stone steps that would take us upstairs.
To this:
The tile floor.
From just outside the entrance.
Pictures cannot come close to doing it justice. The light, the intricate stained glass – all of it designed to tell stories – the wood, the carving, the soaring windows; I have never seen anything as beautiful as this priceless treasure.
It is exquisite.
A perfect place to visit on our last day in Paris.
We returned to the Jardin du Luxembourg to watch some pétanque later in the day, but I’ll write about that tomorrow. And I’ll share some other thoughts.
Don’s under the weather today, so I’m off to check on him.
Happy Saturday.
hope don is feeling better soon and you stay healthy!
and okay, now i really must get to paris to see that chapel, sainte- chapelle! plus macarons and everything else.
thanks for sharing such wonderful photos and descriptions!
hope you have a nice weekend.
kathy in iowa
You too, Kathy! Thank you.
I rarely leave comments on anything, but the magnificent photos in today’s blog just blew me away. I have been to Paris, and been in both cafes you mentioned, but, sadly, I had no idea there the building that you showed to today. All I can say is THANK YOU for sharing these pics, and also the other information about your trip.
I think a lot of people miss out on seeing Sainte-Chapelle. It’s hidden away, and, of course, the focus is usually on Notre Dame.
Thank you, JJ!
oh my. I would love to just stand in Sainte Chapelle. even your fabulous pictures
made me feel I was inside an unbelievably beautiful and exquisite kaleidoscope.
and the picture of you and Don is perfect. love that he’s holding tight to the macarons!
He knows what he has to do, Tammy!
Thank you!
While not the same as being in them, don’t worry! Your pictures are magnificent Claudia! Thanks for bringing us along in the gallery as well! You and Don look like you belong ! Sending best wishes for health and healing.
Thank you so much, Grace!
It never ceases to amaze me the craftsmanship of the medieval workers who built the magnificent churches and cathedrals hundreds of years ago.
I don’t know if you remember my mentioning the excellent French TV detective series Spiral which covers crime and the justice system. Well, those magnificent gates are shown in almost every episode as part of the Palais de Justice, I recognised them straightaway as Series 7 is currently showing on Saturday nights!
Hope Don is feeling better soon
Happy Saturday
The gates are pretty darned beautiful, Dee Dee. I only wish we got that series here!
Thank you.
Oh my….that church! It is truly hard to believe that that church was built in the 13th century. The workmanship is superb….and those windows are spectacular. Great post today…lots of gorgeous pictures. Oh…the Architecture!! ;)
I know! It’s simply stunning. Thanks, Donna!
Gee, sure hope Don isn’t gonna have a bad cold or flu or something. You’ve certainly been in a lot of ‘environments’ lately (and time zones) to challenge the body’s immune system. I think it’s darned cold in your neck ‘o the woods; didn’t I read or hear that you might get snow next week in the northeast? We’re hot today where I am in SoCalif; was already 90 degrees at 11:15am. Mild but persistent Santa Ana wind blew all night. I don’t like it; the heat OR the wind. I don’t know what it is to ever have a storybook-winter Thanksgiving and Christmas.
The photos today are such fun Parisian scenes. You’ve really captured Paris for us on the blog. So enjoyable! You’ve filled in a lot of blanks about the Paris I never quite saw, when I was too young, too much in a hurry, sick with bad bronchitis and just didn’t have enough time there.
I remember studying about Sainte-Chapelle as a schoolgirl. Never was able to work it in when I was actually in Paris which I now see as quite a loss of experience from what I’ve since read or heard about it; and especially since seeing your photos today. It’s just magnificent; exquisite. Almost too much to take in and try to imagine what was involved with that kind of craftsmanship and artistry, and the amount of time it all took to create. What could rival that stained glass? Wow.
I also recall learning of the Chartre cathedral outside of Paris; it’s also Gothic. It’s at least a day away from Paris; maybe two I think. Incredible that all this stuff survived the WWII bombings. I seem to have the hazy memory that Chartre has scores of stained glass windows, too. My French teacher was enamored with both cathedrals for their exceptional beauty so she spent a considerable amount of time talking to us about them (but I missed both; rats).
I was in a few cathedrals in Europe back in the day…there’s a lot of them!…but sometimes they felt dark inside; your photos of Sainte-Chapelle do seem gloriously light-filled.
(Such a shame when on a fast tour of too many cities, some of the sights like multiple cathedrals can blend into one big fuzzy memory; of course, for me, it was also a really long time ago. You and Don do it the RIGHT way.)
Over the many years, I’ve heard more than one person say ‘how did I possibly miss Sainte-Chapelle when I was in Paris?’ (I think we all tend to put our first focus on Notre Dame?) but, as you’ve seen, there’s so much to do in Paris and never enough time, so I’m glad you saw it on your second trip with Don.
Again, thanks for taking us along; what a treat for your readers.
We’ve been on 7-8 hour plane rides, we’ve crossed time zones. We’ve been through two time changes – in Paris and in the USA. We’ve had jet lag. And now it’s freezing here! Crazy.
I think people miss Sainte-Chapelle because it’s hidden away and Notre Dame has always been the star. We missed it last year. I was just plain happy that we could see it this visit.
Thanks, Vicki.
Oh Claudia. That is just so beautiful!
Eileen
Isn’t it? Much love to you, cousin! xoxo
There is no other church or perhaps spot on earth that has ever taken my breath away so quickly or completely as Sainte-Chapelle. None before or since, nor do I suspect, ever. Your photos are exquisite. They dazzle and stop my heartbeat almost as much as the real thing. There is much to love in this post, but nothing more than this. Thank you.
I feel the same way. I have never seen anything like it, nothing as beautiful. It’s also unlike any other church. It’s a chapel, but oh my goodness, what a glorious one! Thank you, Jeanie.
Really enjoyed a lot your very personal documentary with these interesting details and wonderful fotos giving me a new sight of Paris. I’am very related with these Gothik Cathedrals because we have one of biggest here in Cologne, Germany. Even your comment corner is always worth reading. Likewise I look forward to the descriptions of your everyday life which I follow now for almost nine (or ten?) years. Hope Don gets well soon. Many thanks and best regards,
Helga
The gothic cathedrals are gorgeous. You have a very famous example in Cologne.
Thank you for being a reader of the blog, Helga!
Thank You. Your words and photos do not disappoint, they are wonderful.
Thank You for sharing Paris.
Wishing you the best,
Kaye
My pleasure, Kaye!
Stunning and Beautiful. I’m making my list for my next trip. Thank your for this amazing view of Paris through your eyes.
You are very welcome, my friend.
Lovely pictures and lovely couple!!! Can’t eat to hear your comments on latest Penny book. A favorite? Not? I loved her way of writing about a tender issue!!!
I really loved it. It may not be my absolute favorite, but it’s right up there. xo
I’ve heard of the chapel but never seen images of it. I can’t imagine the glass was made that long ago and has survived all this time! What a gem! It’s another world in there. Unbelievable technology. So glad that you found it with your inner Paris orientation. I feel saddened that this was your last full day. Can’t imagine how that felt to you. The only thing to lighten the mood must have been the idea of returning.
We didn’t want to leave. Truly. But we had to, so we tried to make the best of it! Thanks, Nora!
I am totally smitten with the lion picture. I wish I could get a print of that.
Hmm, I guess I would at least try a macaron! Not here though. Would definitely have to be the real thing.
The photos inside Sainte Chapelle…no words. Holy moly.
xoxo
Holy moly is right! Thanks, Melanie!
I throughly enjoyed your Paris trip. Thank you for posting.
You’re welcome!