The best birthday trip EVER - Day 2

We arranged to meet at Sainte-Chapelle at 9:30 am on Thursday. (Remember, it was dropped from the day 1 schedule due to the long line, or the queue, as they say in Europe.) After figuring out the electrical converters we needed to use to get my hairdryer and flatiron to work, we dressed for a big day. The Eiffel Tower was on the list.....and, until we added Sainte-Chapelle, nothing else......Why? Because I made reservations at Le Jules Verne, the Alain Ducasse restaurant at the top of the Eiffel Tower. We had to look good. Not like tourists.

We were running a little late and decided to have coffee at a cafe near the meeting place. Craftier was running a little late, and that was fine. I needed a moment to catch my breath and enjoy my grande creme and croissant. I had my Frommer's Paris with me, so I did a little reading to understand what we were about to see.

Saint-Chapelle was the King's Chapel, built to house the relics of the Passion of Christ. If you have time, follow the link above and read the details, but most importantly, click to the pictures. My camera isn't fit to capture the enormity and beauty of this place. My photos pale in comparison to those taken by the professionals. I take photos like this:

Of the laminated card they give you to guide you to the most important of the individual stained glass stories. All the stories of the bible all told in stained glass. From Genesis to Revelation, you can find the Exodus, the Great Flood, and all of the parables that Jesus told.

These stained glass windows tell the story of Christ in pictures.

This rose window graphically depicts the entire story of Revelation.


From Christ's life, here he is being crowned with thorns.

We spent quite a little while here. I really wanted to take more photos of the creation story from Genesis, but the light wasn't right. I suspect that had we been there later in the day with the sun coming from the other direction, I would have been able to see those windows better.

One thing that struck me was the ceiling (and the inside of the altar in one of the pictures above).......for all these beautiful windows whose stories lead you heavenward, the ceiling was painted with fleur-de-lis, a constant reminder that the King of France was, in his view, the ultimate authority. The commoners were Never Allowed in this chapel. It was for the King.

We left Sainte-Chappel with plenty of time to stroll to the Eiffel Tower. Along the way, we saw a rack with these bikes.

They are for the citizens of Paris to rent and ride to their destination. You can find these racks all over the city. I don't know how long the rental can last or how much it costs, but I saw plenty of people using them, so I think it's a viable option. Notice the wire basket on the front.....very important, and in my view, one of the keys to the success of this program.

On to the Eiffel Tower for our stunning lunch. It was a cold, windy, overcast day that threatened rain. Notice that the tower is not the black or bronze that you might expect it to be.

It's rust primer colored. It didn't really surprise me, but I now have a different vision in my mind's eye when someone says "Eiffel Tower".

One of the perks of reserving a table at Le Jules Verne is that you get to take a private elevator to the top of the Eiffel Tower, skipping the lines, which were VERY long (notice how I try to avoid having tourists in my photos, cause we're not tourists.)

I was so amazed by the view from the windows, the refinement of the staff, and the decoration of the restaurant, that I took hardly any photos, which is a real shame because all of the food looked like art and tasted better than anything I've ever had (a constant theme on this trip). The courses: aperitif, amuse bouche, entree (the soup/salad), plat (the entree), fromage (the cheese), dessert, coffee, after-dessert dessert, digestif (the alcohol after the meal).

The waiters gave the men the menus with the prices. They gave the ladies menus without prices. Craftier was disturbed by this. I loved it. I love when the man is treated like the man, and the lady is treated like the lady. It makes me feel cared for and treasured, something to be protected from the ugliness of the world and burden of the cost. Craftier felt out of control. She didn't know every detail. I didn't want to know the details. I was in my princess-in-Paris fantasy world and was happy to stay that way.

I realized my lack-of-photo error when it was too late. We had arrived at 12:30 pm for our lunch and by 3:30 pm, when the final course was served, I decided to whip out my camera, to capture the after-dessert dessert.

Macaroons (which I hate in the US, but love in Paris), lemon custard on shortbread, and creme fresh topped with pineapple glace and bits of fresh pineapple and homemade marshmallows. And see that big cup to the left, it had homemade orange flavored marshmallows in it. There was another cup with itty bitty chocolate truffles. Lesson learned: next time, I will carry a ziploc in my purse, because I won't want to leave a drop of all this goodness on the table.

After we finished our meal, I walked around the restaurant and took a few pictures. Our table was set with these white chargers. The decoration on the bottom was duplicated in the ceiling.

We went out to the upper deck, where we took photos and enjoyed the view of Paris. We were not rushed. We called the peeps (thank goodness Big Daddy's phone had signal) from the top.

Now after that lovely meal (which I found out yesterday while looking at our American Express bill cost the equivalent of my left kidney) and our beautiful view, we figured out that we had to WALK down. From the Top. Or wait in an hour plus line to take the public elevator down.

So we walked. We stopped on one of the lower decks to read about the construction of the tower and it's history. We learned how much it sways in the breeze (something I am glad I didn't know about while I was at the top). We learned about the people who built it, those who have seen it, and the stunts performed off of it.

Here's a view you don't often see. Look at all those tourists ants.

It was 4:30 by the time we made it to the bottom. We decided to stroll through one of the beautiful parks and

and search out the gold dome......the tomb of Napolean.

Napolean was a little fella with a high opinion of himself. He thought he could take over Europe, but he didn't count on that country called Russia. We went inside, with only 30 minutes left before they closed for the day.

This was the inside of the dome.

And the floors were ringed with this marble inlaid crest that made it look like a rug encircling the tomb.

This was also on the floor, before you entered the "tomb" area, which could be seen from the rotunda above.

How high is your opinion of yourself that you would build this shrine?

Look at the tomb......the scrolly box. Look at the people above and how the crucifix lines up perfectly. You love him or you hate him, I guess.

They kicked us out at closing time and we walked back toward Musee D'Orsay since it was open late on Thursday. We saw this on our walk.

Nice parking places, right? The parking lot at Target doesn't look like that. I think we are missing out on something in the US.

On to Musee d'Orsay, home to the Impressionists and the big clocks. You can see Sacre Coeur through the backs of the clear clock faces......see?

I took lots of photos as we rushed through this museum. If we ever come back to Paris, I will come here again and block an entire morning or afternoon.

This was my favorite.

Degas.

I love Degas.

There is another bronze of this dancer in the Victoria and Albert museum in London. I've seen her too. She has a green ribbon in her hair and her skirt is bronze.

This is my other favorite Degas. I love the blue tutus. I remember when I saw this for the first time. The blue struck me. I had never seen a blue tutu. I thought the dancers looked like flowers that had been cut and were waiting to be put in vases.

Big Daddy wanted to take my picture with it, but I said no. I think my brain was on overload, because, upon reflection, I wish that I had let him take the photo. I don't know why I said no.

After our madding pace through the Musee D'Orsay, we decided to go to Craftier's apartment to find dinner and listen to jazz.

It was 9 pm when we arrived at her 5th floor walkup (notice the stairs theme again?). See, it's still light outside. We were exhausted and still full from lunch. The jazz band was playing in a cafe below, so we opened the windows and kicked off our shoes. As the music rose up and night descended, we ate fruit, cheese and bread and drank wine in their apartment until Big Daddy fell asleep in the chair.

We managed to metro back to our hotel, walking in at 1 am. Not drunk this time, but exhausted. The night reception man recognized us and handed us our room key (you have to leave your room key each day.....no fancy electronic cards at this hotel.....only old world charm and a fancy key with a tassel on it.)