Hello everyone! We are coming towards the end of our European Grand Tour and towards the end of our stay at my new favorite travel destination 😦 There’s just nothing like Paris, nothing like it at all. We just got back from our last hurrah in this unreal city, but today, you are hearing about our church/chapel/basilica explorations. Keep reading to find out more!
Friday, August 1st, 2019
Today, plans were changed because we originally were supposed to go Versailles to explore the palace but because metro lines and train lines were shut down, it made getting there very complicated and very long so we decided against it. Instead, we explored a few different places of Catholic practice in Paris that were easily accessible by metro.
We started the morning off by heading towards the subway and finding a local pastry shop down the street for breakfast. We all got regular croissants which were very tasty. After our quick breakfast, we kept walking the street to the metro station and took the metro to Sainte-Chapelle.
Sainte-Chapelle is a unique chapel in that it is adorned with 1113 stained glass windows and holds important relics such as Jesus’s own crown of thorns. The inside of the church is impressive with its stained glass windows depicting the books of the bible and on the outside, has the books of First Testament carved into the marble. I was able to recognize Noah’s Ark, Adam & Eve eating the apple, Eve being born from Adam’s rib, and Jesus healing the leper.
After Sainte-Chapelle, we walked over to Notre Dame as they were relatively close to each other. Unfortunately, because of the fire that burned down Notre Dame’s spire earlier this year, we were unable to even go inside the cathedral at all because of the construction to repair the building. We were able to see the exterior of the cathedral though and it’s most famous part, the front view, though obstructed by the barriers.
After Notre-Dame, we made our way back to the metro station and decided visit the famous Sacre Coeur (Sacred Heart in English), a Catholic basilica on the top of Paris’s highest hill. Since the basilica was in a very hilly area, a funicular was used to get to the top of the hill, where the basilica actually was. The views of the city from the hill were just as impressive as at the top of the Eiffel Tower. The basilica itself has a gorgeous interior to match its exquisite exterior and I even made an offering to the Lord and lit the candle. No photos were allowed inside, but my mom (and other tourists) managed to snap a few pics. We also bought chocolate filled cookies and a crewneck sweatshirt that says “Paris” in the corner, walking back down to the station.
Afterwards, we decided to visit Galeries Lafayette, a French department store chain, to have a look around and because my mom really wanted a certain Louis Vuitton bag that she has been looking for for YEARS. While at the Galerie, we decided to have lunch at the cafeteria there. I had a cheeseburger (it had been too long without American food), my dad had the roasted chicken (which he was not a fan of), my brother had chicken wings, and my mom, a hamburger patty. The food was relatively okay overall, but overpriced (I mean their granites were like 4 Euros!).
After looking in the galerie, my mom wanted to visit the store Mango to buy clothes for her (though, I did get a black t-shirt with daisies on it out of it) while my dad went to the Hard Rock Cafe for his collector’s pin from Paris. (He has a lot of them!) Then, we went back to the metro and off to our hotel.
My dad and I rested up while my mom and brother hit Gucci where he got the famous Gucci slides. We were tasked with figuring out dinner. After a bit of struggle, we found a Japanese restaurant near us called Zenzan. I had my usual, Chicken Katsu, and it was quite good, better than a Japanese restaurant we have by my house back home. (I forgot to snag a picture of this, but it is actually the same as any other katsu meal)
After dinner, we made our way to the Arc de Triomphe, where we were going to do the stair climb to the top. I was fortunate enough to get to ride the elevator because of my very visible scar and limp, so I bypassed the 284 steps, which I was happy about. The view from the arc is incredible, especially when you remember that 12 different streets spiral out from there, so the traffic around the area is INSANE. You can see the lights of the Champs-Elysees and the lit buildings of the Army Museum, Eiffel Tower, and more. We happened to get up and outside to the top at just the right time because shortly after we arrived, the Eiffel Tower’s “light show” started! It is always such an impressive sight to behold.
It was getting late and the arc was going to be closing soon so we were not up there for very long before coming back down (me by elevator, my parents and brother by stairs). Once we were down, we walked the short distance back to our hotel and turned in for the night. Bonne Nuit!
Thanks so much for reading everyone and for your patience as I write these blogs. It takes me about an 1 hr 30 mins to 2 hrs because of the detail I put into it. I am usually tired and frustrated upon its upload, so it makes me happy to know that you guys love it!
Ashley's Travel Diaries 