Day 10: Visitor!

After a nice relaxing day on Thursday, Friday promised to be a very busy and fun day. I had a nice manageable itinerary, that promised to keep me moving and later that night I was expecting my weekend roommate to arrive! All in all I was very excited, so I hardly slept and was up bright and early!

After a relatively quick stop for a croissant and a café crème at the nearby café, I made my way towards Sainte Chappelle. I had originally planned on visiting it a few days back, but the cloudy skies and really long lines were discouraging. I was glad to have pushed it back to a much more sunny days, and I was greatly anticipating seeing the famed stained glass windows. The walk over to the chapel was beautiful, and I couldn’t help admiring the Seine from what I now considered MY bridge. Since it was still early in the morning, I found the line to be much shorter than the previous day, and in less than 15 minutes I was in the lower chapel. I am sure that not everyone finds the lower chapel interesting, but I loved the ceiling and the intricate design. It was a bit dark, but the different style of architecture was lovely. Then I made my way upstairs for the true delight!

As I emerged from the stairwell, I walked into the most colorful jewel box one can imagine! It was the type of sight that stops you in your tracks and makes you just gaze your fill. The sunny light streamed in from all the windows, splattering the modest sized chapel with colors worthy of any artist. It was a *tiny* bit marred due to the scaffolding at the front, but still a very beautiful sight. The other visitors seemed to be in the same daze as I was as they examined the stories depicted in the different windows.
Each window was a little different, using different shapes and colors to create a unique design and story.

I noticed near the windows there were sculptures of various saints, and I mentally thanked my Art History teacher for pointing them out in class. They were a treat in themselves, all at first glance very similar but on closer inspection as unique as the windows they guarded. I took a seat on one of the benches and made use of the guide provided, and read up a bit on the chapel and windows all the while enjoying the beautiful jewel colors. After looking and reading my fill, I descended the stairs and emerged into the bland world of normal color.

I decided to continue walking and headed towards another highly anticipated treat: Angelina’s. Being a slave to chocolate, this promised to be a highlight of my trip. The interior of the restaurant was beautiful decadent, and made me almost wish to return to the days when this was the norm! I was promptly seated and gave my order for the got chocolate and a mont blanc, which came recommended by my landlord in his guidebook. As the waitress brought out my order I couldn’t wait to taste what I had heard so much about. It was very intricately presented, the little pot of chocolate, the tea cup and cream. I prepared a little cup and prepared myself for heaven. And indeed the first sip was blissful! Some of the best chocolate ever! But after the initial sip I realized, I already felt as if I had eaten several chocolate bars! This could not be! I , the choc-aholic, have reached my fill on a measly sip or two of hot chocolate. So I tried the pastry and discovered it was entirely too sweet! I was horrified, where was my sweet tooth? Had it all deserted me at this critical moment??? After a few more attempts at the chocolate, I started getting queasy. So in a moment of cowardice, I left the money with the bill and fled before anyone noticed that I could not handle the much famed chocolate.

I was entirely disappointed in myself, and I figured I was not who I thought I was. I couldn’t be, because what choc-aholic fled from dessert? I actually so queasy that I decided to walk in the fresh air towards my next destination, L’Arc De Triomphe. On my way, I stopped in the Place de la Concorde to admire the beautiful fountain and Obelisk. I loved the Obelisk, even though it did not seem to belong. The carvings on it were beautiful, my favorite being a row of ducks. By this point my stomach had calmed down so I continued on towards the Arc. After walking through a pretty park, and passed crowded and pretty stores filled with pretty and unattainable things, I gazed up at the Arc.

It is a very impressive monument and definitely something I had always associated with Paris. So I made my way underground and emerged right next to the Arc after purchasing a ticket to go up. I admired the Arc from eye level, and then prepared for yet another climb of doom. I am certain that this is how Parisians stay thin…they refuse elevators! The spiral staircase is a bit dizzying, and about halfway up I stopped and used the excuse of taking a picture to catch my breath. I had noticed several tourists doing the same, and decided to go along with the same sneaky technique.

Once up top, I realized that this is one of the best views of Paris! I was impressed with the Eiffel Tower and Notre Dame, but this was amazing as well! I must have stood there for ages, looking at the various streets escaping from the center of the Arc. Then I made my way down again, realizing after awhile that down is almost as bad as up! I noticed I had some time before the Louvre became free for young adults, so I decided to head to Luxembourg Gardens. I navigated the Metro like an old pro, and in no time at all I found myself at the beautiful park.

It really is a beautiful place! There are various activities for families, from tennis courts to basketball courts and playgrounds. I strolled for a bit and ended up settling near the central lawn and garden to finish off the rest of my book. The setting is quite pretty, with beautiful colorful flowers everywhere , and they Luxembourg palace making a great background. As I finished my book, I realized I was actually hungry despite my previous trauma. I stopped at a vendors to purchase a savory crepe of ham and cheese, and made my way by Metro back to the Louvre. As it was last Friday, the line was fairly short and I was inside quickly. This time I started by exploring the French sculpture gallery which became my favorite place in the Louvre right then and there! I loved all the marble and the way it was presented. After touring the sculptures, I explored Napoleon’s apartments and some of the French renaissance galleries. Soon I realized my feet ached and I needed real food!

So sadly I left the Louvre, knowing I wouldn’t have time to go back on this visit. I made my way to the apartment, taking the Metro this time. At home I made a simple dinner with a few things I had picked up the other day. I enjoyed this with some wine and relaxed a bit. I made some phone calls home via Skype assuring everyone all was well and I still had plans to make it back home. Soon it was 11pm and my friend had arrived from the train station. She has been working in Germany on a summer internship, but traveled on weekends and this time I had offered her my apartment as a home base. After catching up and settling her in, we realized neither of us were tired so I decided to play tour guide! It was a novel experience because only a few days ago, I was the one needing a guide!

We walked toward Notre Dame and then along the Seine towards the Louvre. It was all so pretty lit up at night, and we had a great time. We actually did make it to the Louvre as they were turning off the lights, and we then turned around and headed back to the apartment, arriving at a VERY late 2 AM!! Yikes! Needless to say, we fell asleep very quickly!