Sainte Chapelle & Les Marais/Rue des Rosiers

We awakened to a drizzly morning & after breakfast headed in to Paris and Sainte Chapelle. Foy dropped us off at a cafe across the street from the front of the Chapel where we had an obligatory coffee & pastry before going the queue to purchase our entry tickets.

Cher & I had a delicious framboise (raspberry) tart and Kathy had pan perdu (French toast) with salted caramel sauce.

This is when we discovered that in our haste to jump out of the vehicle, that we had left behind our umbrellas! Fortunately our wait was not too long.

Cafe Les Deux Palais

My sweet sister Cherie :)

The Sainte Chapelle, Holy Chapel is a royal chapel in the Gothic style within the medieval Palais de la Cité, the residence of the Kings of France until the 14^th century. Construction began sometime after 1238 and the chapel was consecrated in April, 1248.

The 2 levels of the chapel had entirely different purposes. The upper level, where the sacred relics were kept was reserved exclusively for the royal family and their guests. The lower level was used by the courtiers, servants & soldiers of the palace. The Parisian scholastic Jean de Jandun praised the building as one of Paris’ most beautiful structures, stating: "That most beautiful of chapels. The chapel of the king, most decently situated with the walls of the king's house, enjoys a complete & indissoluble structure of the most solid stone. The most excellent colors of the pictures, the precious gilding of the images bestow such a beauty on that house of prayer, that in going into it, one understandable believes oneself, as if rapt to heaven, to enter one of the best chambers of Paradise." It is a beautiful space & pictures can not begin to do it justice. The floor-to-ceiling glass panels depicting biblical scenes are stunning. It is hard to take in all the detail. Please see my video post separately for a better overall "gestalt" of the space.

Beautiful, intricate ceiling

We had dinner in Paris'most famous Jewish neighborhood, Les Marais district known as the Pletzl-Yiddish for little place.

Falafael with tahini, hummus & feta with za'atar

A few night shots walking back to the car.

Good night all

Comments

Stockholm in the Fall- Millesgarden/ Stockholm på hösten-Millesgården

Today, on day 4 in Stockholm we plan to visit Millesgården which is the home of the famous sculptor Carl Milles & his wife Olga. Millesgården is an oasis just 20 minutes from downtown Stockholm. We took the Ropsten stop from Farsta on the subway & then transferred to a bus which got us close to Millesgården. It is located on the island of Lidingo. With its restful park, rippling sculptor fountains & flower-decked terraces, Millesgården is a unique environment that offers both relaxation & cultural experiences. The 5-acre museum park features sculptures, fountains, the artists's home, a collection of antiquities & an art gallery. The internationally renowned artist's most important works are installed here. Weather was quite cool walking from the bus, but the day warmed & skies turned blue. Unfortunately in her pursuit of the best photos, Kathy fell on uneven cobblestones & fractured her foot. We were so fortunate to be with Anita who...

Tending the heart, soul, mind & body/ Prendre soin du cœur, de l'âme, de l'esprit et du corps

Today is Cherie and Foy’s anniversary so we began the morning by walking to the Hotel d’ville or city hall with it's beautiful gardens across from the Chateau where they had their civil ceremony. After a photo session, we began the day’s adventures. The Musée (museum) Rodin was opened in 1919, primarily dedicated to the works of the French sculptor Auguste Rodin. The collection included 6,600 sculptures, 8,000 drawings, 8,000 photographs and 7,000 objets d’art. The gardens around the museum building contain many of the famous sculptures in natural, wooded settings. Rodin’s sculptures are the work of an artist who chose to defy the norms of his time; a bit out of step with contemporary aesthetic norms. This absence of artifice guarantees the timelessness of Rodin’s works. The Thinker or Il Penseur is perhaps the most famous of Rodin's sculptures. The pose is one of deep thought & contemplation and the statue is often used as an image to represent ...

Stockholm in the Fall- Katharine's church, Parish of Gustav Vasa and Royal Palace/Stockholm på hösten, Katarina kyrka, Gustav Vasa kyrka, Kungliga Slottet

After toast & coffee we bundled up for the day and headed down the hill to the Subway or Tunnelbana. This morning we were headed to central Stockholm & the Katarina kyrka or Katharine's church. The original church was constructed from 1656-1695. This Lutheran parish is where Anita was christened. In the surrounding neighborhood there are several very old buildings as evidenced by the dates on their facade. Many had really unique metal chimneys. The views looking back across the water were breathtaking. We continued in our church exploration mode & headed to the parish of Gustav Vasa ( remember the Vasa museum?) We encountered one of the parish ministers who Anita had met previously preparing for a baptism. She had spent a year in San Diego at UCSD. It was lovely to see several family & friends in attendance attired in their native dress. We headed back towards Gamla stan (Old Tow...

Paris in the Fall / Paris a l'automne

Search This Blog