Notre Dame

Monday
The day dawned with a slight frost and a light mist, but with the sun breaking through - just gorgeous. We had planned on going to Paris for the day, and it turned out to be a beautiful day for it. It was a national holiday today for Armistice Day, so we decided to drive, rather than take the train, since the traffic would be somewhat lighter. Roger chose to drive along the river as far as Melun, and it was so beautiful with the mist still hanging over the water. Once up in Paris, our first stop was La Sainte Chapelle, which is located in the courtyard of the royal palace on the Île de la Cité (now part of a later administrative complex known as La Conciergerie). The most famous features of the chapel are the great stained glass windows. Fifteen huge mid-13th-century windows fill the nave and apse, while a large rose window with Flamboyant tracery (added to the upper chapel c.1490) dominates the western wall. Unfortunately, three or four of them were covered over, as they are in the process of being restored. Next stop was the magnificent Notre Dame Cathedral, which I have visited a number of times now, but each time I see something new. The last time we visited, about five years ago, it was dreadfully crowded, and you just felt you were being pushed around by the mass of people. Today was better, and there was time to appreciate some of the details more. My blip also includes the imposing statue of Charlemagne on horseback. The statue was created in 1886 by Louis and Charles Rochet. By this time it was time for lunch, so we found a nice little cafe across the river, offering a very reasonable lunch menu. We then took the metro to Sacre Coeur and Montmartre, and finally ended up at Place de la Tocadero to view the Eiffel Tower as the sun was setting, not that it was much of a sunset, as the clouds had moved in during the course of the afternoon.

One year ago: Line of color