OHH LA LA!

13 stairways, 23,000 steps, 10.17 miles.  These are the official numbers for our second day in Paris...now you understand why this posting is a day late.

The day started out with a petit dejeuner of cafe creme, a soft-boiled egg, sliced toasts, a croissant and a glass of juice - not only was it delicious but it also made for a pretty picture.

I am having no problem with the language - not because I am fluent in French, but because the clueless look on my face at the first French word spoken makes them switch to English (!).

Christine and I walked to Notre Dame Cathedral and, as expected, the line of people waiting to view the inside snaked around the square.  The cathedral is beautiful from a distance and fascinating up close, especially due to the variety of gargoyles that decorate the towers.  Christine gave me a new camera for my birthday and the zoom is fantastic.  The gargoyles in the photos below are VERY high up but the photos still show extreme detail and the expressions on their creepy little faces.

After much picture-taking of the outside of the cathedral, we headed to the 13th-century chapel of Ste. Chapelle.  There is much to say about this beautiful and unique church but what comes to my mind is - it is so French!  You can see why, the interior is decorated with fleur-de-lis pattern and in the rich colors of blues and gold.

Ste. Chapelle was built in 1248 by Louis IX to house his personal collection of holy relics, including the famous crown of thorns which is now housed in Notre Dame.  The chapel's 15 floor-to-ceiling stained glass windows depict the biblical stories from Genesis to the resurrection of Christ and are absolutely breathtaking.