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Day One of Paris 2006 - Louvre Day Three (Part One) - Île de la Cité Day Three (Part Two) - Petit Palais and Napoleon's Tomb Day Three (Part Three) - Arc de Triomphe Day Six - Paris - Montmartre, Eiffle Tower and more Two small islands lie in the middle of the Seine River as it runs through Paris. Île de la Cité (island of the city) is the living heart of the city, and contains some must see sights. I thought nothing in Paris could be as beautiful as the Winged Victory statue in the Louvre Museum until we visited Sainte Chapelle.
gift shop of Sainte Chapelle We found the gift shop first, and I was transported into the Middle Ages by its blue, red, green and gilt interior. If we had stopped sightseeing at that point, I would have been happy, but we used our Museum Passes and walked into the sanctuary where the Bible is revealed in well over 1000 scenes of stained glass. Simply, quietly, gorgeously lovely. No matter what your faith, sit and take it in.
Sainte Chapelle
window detail
The Conciergerie is nearby - everything on the island is nearby. It was a prison during the French Revolution. With the handy Museum Pass, you can see the bleak cell and courtyard where Marie Antoinette spent her last months before she was beheaded by the efficient guillotine. Today, the Conciergerie hosts art exhibits.
Marie Antoinette's exercise courtyard
We stopped at Berthillon for excellent pistachio ice cream and snacks before heading to the Archaeological Crypt in front of Notre Dame Cathedral. Admission is covered by the Museum Pass. The excavated underground of the island shows the Roman and medieval foundations of Paris, originally a Celtic fishing village.
Archaeological Crypt
Notre Dame (Cathedral of Our Lady) is very Gothic, tall and narrow, and draws the eye upward. A bell tower climb is worth the cost (€7) and the sweat for the view and the personal encounters with gargoyles. Don't forget to walk around the exterior to view the flying buttresses that provide support for the structure. I was pleasantly surprized by the gift shops that hug the side street. With four girls in tow and many relatives back home, we bought reasonably priced scarves and large postcards.
statues of the kings of Judah on the façade of Notre Dame - during the French Revolution, the stautes were beheaded by anti-royalists who thought they represented French kings - these heads are copies - the originals are now in the Cluny Museum
rose window
Joan of Arc / Jeanne d'Arc, heroine of France
gargoyle
rear view of Notre Dame with flying buttresses
Behind the cathedral, we listened to an accordian player evoke the romance of Paris. Perhaps we should have lingered with the music because the minute I walked into the Deportation Memorial, I burst into tears. Even as I type these words, my eyes well up, and I remember the sadness evoked by this simple monument to the 200,000 French victims of the Holocaust who were sent to die in Nazi concentration camps. Each death camp is depicted by a triangle cut into the museum walls. Each triangle contains soil from the camp it represents.
Deportation Museum
It was a relief to exit the Memorial and come back to the 21st century. While we can't escape today's horrors anymore than those of the past, the accordian player's magic soothed our spirits. Never have I been so glad to tip a street musician.
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