Thursday - Paris Day 2

This morning we left our hotel after breakfast and went back to Trocadéro to get some pictures of the Eiffel Tower without the rain.  After that, we went to the Sainte Chappelle.  This chapel was built in the 13th century to house the "relics of the passion."  These items were said to belong to Jesus Christ: the crown of thorns, a nail from the cross, and a piece of wood from the cross.  The stained glass windows in the chapel are among the most beautiful in the world.  The relics are now housed within the Notre Dame Cathedral.

After la Sainte Chapelle, we stopped for some lunch in the nearby cafes.  After lunch we visited Notre Dame cathedral and climbed over 400 stairs to the top of one of the towers.  It was beautiful but a bit scary up there!  We also got to go into the belfry and imagine the Hunchback climbing the rafters and ringing the bell.  We went down from the tower and visited inside of the main part of the cathedral.

 

 








Next, we went to the Louvre museum.  Legs were sore and feet were hurting by this point, but our guide whisked us through the museum to see som of the most famous paintings and sculptures.  La Jaconde (Mona Lisa), Venus de Milo, the Last Supper, the Coronation of Napolean, and the Winged Victory of Samothrace (Nike), to name a few.

Following the museum, we took the Metro up to Montmartre and did some final souvenir shopping before going up the funicular to Sacré Cœur Basilica.  Walking around the back of the church, we admired the artwork being created in the Place du Tertre.  Our restaurant was just a short walk away and we enjoyed a dinner of quiche, salad, boeuf bourguignon, and île flottante (meringue with crème anglaise).  To finish the evening, we went back over to Sacré Coeur to watch the sun set over the city.