It's been too long. I have been so swamped with other projects and photography stuff, I almost forgot that I never posted pics from the last day of my Paris trip. So here they are.
After getting back in town from Bayeux we really only had a couple of things on our must see list. We had to see the beautiful stained glass of Saint Chepelle, then at some point leisurely make it over to Sacré-Cœur and the Arc de Triomphe. Luckily we ended our trip on top of the Arc de Triomphe with some of the best views of Paris.
Warning: You're about to get an Eiffel Tower overload.
The outside of Saint Chepelle.
Just a little fancy.
Construction on this gothic beast started in 1239 and finished in 1248. That would be impressive by today's standards, much less the 13th century. It was built by King Louie IX, to house his collection of Christian relics, which included Christ's crown of thorns.
The relics and the silver chest they were displayed in cost more than 235,000 livres. By contrast, the entire chapel and stained glass cost no more than 40,000 livres. I hope they were the real thing... Of course, the church sustained a few cuts and bruises during the French Revolution, but it was later restored to much of its original state. It remains the largest collection of 13th century stained glass in the world. The windows themselves contain many of the stories from the Old and New Testaments. If you had the time and a pair of binoculars I imagine you could be entertained for days.
As you can see the windows are incredible, but what's more incredible in my opinion is that they survived almost 800 years in near perfect condition.
Never too young to develop an interest in photography.
Of course it was being cleaned when we were there.
This was the jail that housed Marie Antoinette before her trail and beheading. By all reports she was a model prisoner, although her good behavior certainly didn't help her in the end.
You do not want to get your car towed in Paris. It is not a pleasant experience for your car. This dude slammed the car back on the ground about 3 times before he got the balance right. Not cool.
On our way up to Sacré-Cœur, the highest point in the city.
Candied nuts...smelled so good.
The beautiful Sacré-Cœur Basilica is a newborn by European standards. Construction began in 1875 and was finished in 1914. It's history is just not that interesting, but it does offer some great views of the city!
Great views of the city...
Monk with a digital camera!
Represent!
The Red Light District. Gotta say, it almost made Bourbon St. look tame.
Had to see it since we were in the neighborhood.
Shrimp/Crawfish hybrid??
Our last tourist attraction of the trip offered the absolute best views of Paris at night, which you will see below. Again, sorry for the Eiffel Tower overload.
Downtown Paris.
There she is...
Sacré-Cœur at the top of the hill.
Busy boulevards.
Goodbye Paris, I had a helluva time! I shall return!
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