Paris: 50...Sacré Bleu!

Well somehow I went to sleep in my 40's and woke up a 50 year old!  How the heck did I get to be 50 when it seems like just yesterday I was 22 and graduating from college?!

We started our morning with a nice stroll down to Sainte-Chapelle.  The church was commissioned by Louis IX to house the Crown of Thorns (though there is no confirmation he truly possessed the Crown of Thorns) and built the altar very high to protect the crown.  Today the Crown of Thorns is housed at Notre Dame and brought out the first Friday of every month for adoration.

Our hotel is a 30 minute walk to Sainte-Chapelle and by the time we reached our destination, we were in need of the necessity room but as with most places in Europe, one can never be certain one will be available.  The best thing to do in situations of uncertainty is to pop in to a nearby cafe and order a cup of coffee or tea from the bar.  Don't sit at a table for service as it doubles or triples the price. As a patron, you are able to use the bathroom.  While it may seem a bit crazy to pay to use the facilities, it actually gives you a good excuse (as if one is ever needed) to pop in to a cafe where you have the chance to meet locals and get a better understanding of the place you're visiting.












Sainte-Chapelle chapel did not disappoint and the climb up the steep spiral staircase was most definitely worth it.  Beautiful stained glass windows fill the room with gorgeous lighting.  

Random shots around town...

Start of the next Love Lock Bridge

We had reservations at the Ritz Paris (not to be confused with a Ritz-Carlton) so we made our way over for what was by far the sweetest formal tea either of us have ever experienced.  High tea at the Ritz Paris is all sweetest and absolutely no savory.  As a result, we ate the top layer, sampled the second layer and so when the server said she could packaged up the remaining we gladly accepted (we really could not eat any more...shocking I know as we both adore sweets...but didn't want to be rude and ask for a take away box).  They knew it was my birthday so they brought out two glazed madeleines with a candle along with a chocolate birthday sign.  We decided the glazed madeleines were the French version of HOT Krispy Kreme.

After two hours at the Ritz Paris, we made our way back to the hotel to drop off our treats before heading to Notre Dame for Vespers.  To our surprise, the hotel had delivered yet another bottle of champagne (one each day of our stay) and this time with some macaroons!

Vespers at Notre Dame was lovely.  They had the most unusual advent wreath hanging from the ceiling. I placed the lens in my lap to record some of Vespers so you will not see any images in the video below.

While had our fill of sweets, we needed some savory so we headed over the Pont Saint Louis to the Ile Saint Louis and enjoyed a Croque Monsieur before making our way back to our hotel.  Tomorrow we will take the train to Reims for the day and wanted to make an early night.  Given that in three days we have walked 16 miles and climbed many many many stairs in the metro, we were ready for a relaxing evening.