Before moving on, we decide to restore ourselves with a bit of lunch. Everyone else is eating outside, but we opt for the quieter space inside. Our waiter is pleasant, and we order sandwiches on crusty bread that scratches the roofs of our mouths, washing them down with beer, wine, and Orangina. Jane has the frog legs.

Exploring the Île

One of two islands in the Seine within the city of Paris, Île de la Cité is the center of Paris, and so of course we have to go. Turns out ALL road distances in France are calculated from the square that faces the Cathedral of Notre Dame. Using that thinking, we could just as easily calculate all destinations in the world from that point. Why not?

The weather is beautiful, with a blue, cloudless sky. Our first stop is the Cathedral. Now, who among us didn’t have to study “flying buttresses” at some point in our education? Well, here they are, still flying after 800 years. The Cathedral is busy with tourists, and Mass is being said. The square teems with strolling people as well as a grim-looking group of armed guards. At this point, we haven’t learned yet that there has been an attempted attack on the Cathedral a few days before our visit. We see the militia and the police tape, but we don’t even attempt to put two and two together. We are touring the great city of Paris, and trying to figure out which of the towers holds Emmanuel, the largest of ten bells and the one that always gets to go first before the others start in. Kind of like your oldest brother. When the Île de la Cité was liberated by French and Allied troops on August 24, 1944, Emmanuel was given the job of letting everyone know.

 
 
Our next stop is Sainte-Chapelle, an ancient chapel built by Louis IX to hold the Crown of Thorns and a piece of the true cross. This beautiful place has stood here since 1245, which makes it much older than just about anything we’ve seen that hasn’t been reduced to shards. Taller than you can imagine, it’s walls are laced with stained glass of immense complexity and beauty depicting the New Testament and the Old Testament, topped off by various miracles and of course the king himself. Because if you are going to build such a place, why not put yourself in there, too?
 
 
 
We finish the day with a visit to Shakespeare and Company and a nice meal outside, where we can watch the passing crowds and a set of small rats running around in the park across the road. A stroll back home through Ste. Michael, and now, our feet are tired.

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