I think the title Churches pretty much sums up what Aaron and I did today. We first went to Notre Dame. While we were there, they were holding mass, and so Aaron and I saw part of mass. Notre Dame in my opinion, is one of the more impressive buildings I have seen in Paris. It is incredibly large, but also has so much detail. It was built in the 12th century, and is so beautifully preserved. It was truly magnificent to see.
After our visit to Notre Dame we went to our own church and attended sacrament meeting. After this we decided to go to the Conciergerie. This is where they held all of the prisoners awaiting their upcoming appointments with the guillotine. I have to say this was not my favorite place, and I was kind of glad to leave. It was pretty depressing.Marie Antoinette's cell where she was held for two months before she was finally executed.
One non-depressing thing about the Conciergerie, was it has the oldest existing hall in Europe. (Which by the way was totally ruined by the modern displays throughout the hall.)
Our next stop was Saint Chapelle. This church's second level, had stained glass windows all around which told the story of the bible, starting with Genesis and finishing with Revelation, it also included some books of the Apocrypha. It was really hard to see all the detail in the windows, as everything was really small and there was so much to see. I did find one thing in the windows which I recognized, which was the story of David and Goliath.
After our stop at Saint Chapelle, we went to the Crypte Archeologique. These were the remains of the ancient Paris dating at the earliest 100-200 AD.
Next on our itinerary for today was Angelina's, which is famous for its hot chocolate. This is no ordinary hot chocolate. If you had any cravings for chocolate, this would be sure to please and to satisfy. This hot chocolate poured like syrup and was so thick and so rich.
After our sugar high that Angelina's gave us we were ready for a couple more stops. We tried to go the the Eiffel Tower for the second time, but again the line was so ridiculously long that we again vetoed that.
Last stop: Sacre Coure. This is one of the places that I didn't make it to on my first trip to Paris.
We had a very busy and fun day. We made it to four churches, famous Angelina's, and the Eifell tower for the second time. Maybe the third time will be the charm...... The one thing that amazed me today in attending all of these churches was how loud some people were. Especially in Notre Dame, while they were holding mass, there were tourists (sadly, mostly American teenage girls) that seemed to be totally oblivious that for one, these are places of worship for many people, and second, they were actually worshipping while we were there. I was really annoyed at the lack of respect that many people showed while they were visiting. All in all, it was a very good albeit exhausting day. Stay tuned for more of our adventures in France. 
5 comments:
Instead of commenting on each of your posts, I'll combine. It looks like you're having a great time (except for your first day). It's amazing to me that buildings hundreds of years old still remain standing despite wars and natural disasters. It's great that you know so much history and can appreciate those places that you've visited. Aren't you glad you didn't have to drive in that traffic that you took a picture of?! My favorite picture of of the Arch of Triumph (no, I can't spell in French). But I did enjoy the pictures of the Notre Dame, the stained glass windows, the armor, especially on the horse, the queen's room, and Napolean's tomb. There's so much history you're seeing, thanks for the little bit of history lessons. You'll have to tell me more when you get back. No more getting locked in a restroom, OK? Have a great time, we'll look forward to seeing more! Love you!
Preston said ...
All that sounds fun. I realy wish that I could have gone. I hope you'll come down soon. Love you!
Mom and Dad say Hi, and to tell you not to worry, and that they love you!
I'm a bad friend. Life has been crazy and I never got back to you after you tried to call me a couple of times. Sorry :( I am so excited for you! You are on your fabulous trip to France. Besides the 1st day it sounds like you and Aaron are having so much fun. I'm sorry you got locked in the bathroom stall and that you wallet was stolen. You are definitely seeing some beautiful sights. I love all the pictures. You are braver than me going down into the catacombes with all those bones. Freakin creeps me out! I couldn't do it. Well, I love ya and I hope you continue to have a wonderful trip! I will talk to you when you get back, on the phone even!!!
Those are beautiful pictures! Churches in Europe can be either inspiring and beautiful or scary and depressing, in my opinion. Looks like you went to some cool ones.
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