Another Day and Two More Churches - Enough Already!!

Our plans for Monday included a visit to the famous gothic-style church, Sainte-Chapelle and the iconic Sacre Coeur.  As Sainte-Chapelle is one of the most visited churches in Paris, we had purchased a ticket for a timed entry at 10:20.   The crowds weren't too bad so we probably needn't have done that but it worked.

The Sainte-Chapelle is a royal chapel in the Gothic style, within the medieval Palais de la Cité, the residence of the Kings of France until the 14th century, on the Île de la Cité in the River Seine. Construction began sometime after 1238 and the chapel was consecrated on 26 April 1248.  Built in seven years, an impressive feat, the Sainte Chapelle was intended to house precious Christian relics, including Christ's crown of thorns, acquired by Saint Louis. Having these sacred relics in his possession made the already powerful monarch head of western Christianity.  The church has stunning stained glass windows:  arranged across 15 windows, each 15 metres high, the stained glass panes depict 1,113 scenes from the Old and New Testaments recounting the history of the world until the arrival of the relics in Paris.

Following our visit there, we stopped for a "petit dejeuner" at the nearby Cafe Deux Palais before taking the metro from Saint Michel to Barbes Rochechouart.  From there we walked up to Montmartre and took the funicular to Sacré-Coeur. 

We had purchased a Navigo card which, for 22 Euros gives us unlimited use of the metro and it even included the ride on the funicular.  The only downside to it is that the 7 day card only runs Monday to Monday so even when you are here for seven days, like we are, if you don't arrive on a Monday, you need to purchase additional tickets (a carnet has 10) to tide you over until Monday.  Also, the Navigo requires a photo to be pasted onto the card.  At the Metro station, taking a photo costs 8 Euros.  Instead, the very helpful woman at the desk at our hotel, photocopied our passport photo and we used that for free!  Much better.  So, we are set to go anywhere we want using the card.

It was a bit of a hazy day but we still had pretty reasonable views across Paris from the top of the summit of the butte Montmartre.  

The Basilica of the Sacred Heart of Paris, commonly known as Sacré-Cœur Basilica and often simply Sacré-Cœur, is a Roman Catholic church dedicated to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. It is located at the summit of the butte Montmartre, the highest point in the city.  It is a popular landmark and the second-most visited monument in Paris.  It has maintained a perpetual adoration of the Holy Eucharist since 1885.  Construction began in 1875 and was completed in 1914. The basilica was consecrated after the end of World War I in 1919.  We walked through the church which has some amazing mosaic works.

From there it was time for a break so we wandered around the village of Montmartre which is very charming with its narrow streets, restaurants with red awnings and tourist shops.  We found a little creperie (I seem to be having crepes daily for a light lunch) where we rested for a bit. 

Then, we took the Peletier bus down the hill.  Our Navigo pass works for buses as well which is great.  The ride down 'the butte' was a bit harrowing as the driver drove at speeds on the winding narrow roads far in excess of what at home would have had a speed limit of 20km/h.  It was quite the ride and the driver sang along the way.  Place Pigalle is a stark contrast to the religious site up the hill with its sex shops, night clubs and bars. Of course, we had to talk a photo of the renowned Moulin Rouge.  

From there, we headed back to our hotel. The heat had sapped my energy but not my sister’s.  Later, she told me she had gone through another church not far from our hotel called Saint Eustache.  I was done with visiting churches!