A Stunning Chapel, Snow and Dinner with the Flames.

Our first stop today was a building called the Conciergerie.  This place has been a part of French history for a long time. The building was once a royal residence (6th Century for the first French King, Clovis), and was later converted into a posh Palace by Philippe IV in the 14th Century. At the end of the 14th Century, Charles V no longer used the building as his residence and instead turned it into the Palace prison.  There were many famous people who awaited the guillotine here, including:  Marie-Antoinette, revolutionary leader Maximilien Robespierre and Henry IV's assassin Ravaillac.  The tour isn't anything spectacular, so I didn't include any photo's.  In the main hall that you walk into from the entrance, they had a History of Film in France exhibit that was excellent.  All of you film buffs out there would have loved it.

This an old half car used in French film.  The actors sit in the back seat for their scene and the screen rolls in the back ground.  They had it set up where you could sit in the car and see yourself on TV, the kids loved it.

 This was a movie set from "Joan of Arc" that took up a corner of the hall.  

Just down the street from the Conciergerie is one of the most magnificent buildings you will ever see, Sainte-Chapelle. Apparently it is touted as being one of the greatest architectural masterpieces of the Western world.  The Chapelle is divided by an upper and lower chapel.  The lower was for the use of servants and commoners.  While the upper was reserved for the use of the King and the royal family.  Louis IX built the church in 1248.

 The exterior of Sainte-Chapelle.

There are 15 massive stained glass windows that adorn the side walls of the upper chapel.  In this picture you see 5 of them....

 Detail of the upper chapel's ceiling.

 A beautiful Rose window faces west for late afternoon sunlight.

Detail of posts on the upper level.

 The side wall of the lower chapel.

Part of the ceiling and East end of the lower chapel.

 

Post detail lower chapel.

 Ceiling detail lower level.

On Saturday night there is a classical performance of Vivaldi's Four Seasons and Bach's Violin concerto at Sainte-Chapelle.  I tried to buy tickets at the site today but the ticket booth was closed.  I am crossing my fingers that we will be able to get tickets so we can experience some beautiful music in such an amazing setting.

While we were sitting having lunch massive snow flakes started falling. We were told that it only snows 3-4 days a year in Paris.  It was quite funny watching people outside who had clearly never seen snow before.

After lunch we visited the Classical church, St-Sulpice.  The church was started in 1646 and took 134 years to complete.  It was interesting to see the architectural differences between St-Sulpice and the Gothic Notre-Dame.  St-Sulpice was like one big giant block that had been hollowed out (it was still elegant inside), but it didn't have the light, airy feeling of Notre-Dame.

 Inside St-Sulpice

From St-Sulpice we walked down the street towards Luxembourg Gardens, but we arrived too late, the park had closed for the day.  All of us were pretty beat as we have been going non stop since we arrived in Paris, so we decided that we would stop at the first Cafe we came across and have a treat.  The place we stumbled upon "Bread and Roses", was a fancy little spot.  The kids ordered hot chocolate, and no word of a lie, it was basically melted chocolate.  It was like one of those chocolate fountains that you see at posh parties, but thicker.  They also shared a sticky toffee pudding that they were still talking about a bedtime.

The World's thickest hot chocolate and a heavenly sticky toffee pudding.

 My raspberry macaroon, which believe it or not had basil mixed into the cream.

 Stacey opted for the raspberry tart that had vanilla creme brulee underneath.

Back in our hood at the Place des Abbesses (75 ft from our apartment) there was a little mini Christmas market going on.  

 A vendor was selling all sorts of yummy bonbon's.

Fintan dominating the carousel.

For dinner we decided to eat at the apartment.  We went to the local market and picked up tomatoes, basil, olives and some oil & vinegar to add to our cheese and baguettes that we had purchased earlier.  It turned out to be a perfect little dinner, accompanied by what else but a live internet stream of the Calgary Flames shoot-out win over the Flyers.