Paris - cont'd

We started our day by traveling a couple blocks north of our hostel in Montmarte, towards Sacra Coeur.  This very pretty church sits on top of Montmarte hill, overlooking the entire city of Paris.  On the inside they were celebrating morning mass so we were hurriedly shuffled through the church and then back out again.  The ceilings were covered in mosaic tiles depicting different biblical scenes, and the chapels on the outside were very beautiful.

From Sacra Coeur, We traveled to the island in the middle of the Seine which contains the Palais de Justice as well as Notre Dame.  We made a stop at the Conciergerie to see the magnifiscent halls.  The gorgeous vaulted ceilings are what make this space famous.  After admiring, we crossed the piazza towards Notre Dame.  I was beyond excited to see this amazing church.  I have posters in my room back home of this place.  It is so beautiful!  I took so many pictures of the front. All the little details were so intricate, the doors especially.  We entered the church and saw the tall Gothic columns and ceiling.  The Church was set up for an orchestra concert that night.  With this set up, the one view I actually wanted to see was blocked. I wanted to see and get a picture of the long nave with the altar at the end and the statue of Our Lady in the middle.  As we walked around the outside, the air is so thick inside the church. Each of the little chapels is so beautiful, each with its own stained glass windows and statues.  

After walking all the way around the inside, we went back outside and stood in line to climb the towers.  After about a thirty minute wait, we climbed the spiral stairs up the towers. I have never been so dizzy. The stairs seem like they will never end.  But when you finally reach the top, it is definitely worth it. I got to get some really cool pictures of some gargoyles. The view is really pretty over the river. We continued climbing to the very tippy top of the tower and you could see for miles up there. Not quite as high as the Eiffel Tower, but still really pretty.  After climbing down the dizzying staircase, we walked over to Sainte Chapelle, in the Palais de Justice.  This small 2 level chapel is known for its amazing stained glass and beautiful paintings.  It is currently being restored and you can visibly see the difference in panels of stained glass that have been cleaned and those that haven’t. 

From the island, Berta and I traveled to the Pompidou Center.  I found the building incredibly confusing. We tried to make our way up to fourth level where the art museum is located.  Took us a little while but we made it. There was some cool stuff in the museum.  All the descriptions were in French, but there was an Architecture and furniture section that I enjoyed looking at. After fighting to find our way out of the building, we were both exhausted.  On the way back to the hostel, we grabbed a Rotisserie Chicken and some bread in order to make some dinner.