After your visit to Notre Dame you may want to have a soda or ice cream. There's a little cafe on the street to the left of the cathedral. If you're lucky you might find an outside table. Now, walk back towards the metro stop. As you walk through the flower market you will look straight ahead and see, past the large square, a huge imposing building. This is the Palace of Justice - the modern one, not the medieval one which was known for it's torture chambers! If you're ready for lunch, there's a typical French cafe (not a touristy one) on the corner just in front of the Palace. Order an omelet and fries or my favorite sandwich, a croque-monsieur (a French version of grilled ham and cheese! yum!). Ask for a "carafe d'eau" for a pitcher of water or a "carafe de vin" for a pitcher of wine. After lunch, head across the street to see the most beautiful stained glass in the world in the tiny Sainte Chapelle. This little church is inside the courtyard of the Palace of Justice so you'll have to stand in line. If you have a museum pass (highly recommended!) then you can usually show it to the guards and they'll move you ahead. Make sure you go upstairs. The entire story of the Bible is told in stained glass panels that surround the second floor! There are laminated guides that will help you "translate" the panels. Enjoy! My suggestion for the rest of the afternoon is to spend it at the Louvre. It's a short and lovely walk from the Ile de la Cite. You will have to go through the security line, but once inside your museum pass will take you wherever you want to go. I highly suggest Rick Steve's 3 hour walking tour of the museum. He hits all the highlights and gives you some wonderful insight and info. Remember that you're walking inside what was the palace of the kings of France from the 1300s up to the Revolution in 1789. The building itself is a work of art not to mention the collection on the walls and on the floors. My own favorite story about the Louvre is this: In 1939 when the French knew that the German's were headed to Paris, they organized the largest art movement in history. Every piece of art within the miles of halls was removed and hidden in the countryside. When the Nazi's arrived and opened the doors of the Louvre they found empty frames and missing statues. Even more amazing to me is that when the war ended in 1945, every piece of hidden art made its way back to the museum. It gives me goosebumps every time I think about this. In my next post I'll talk about what to do your first night in Paris. A bientôt!
