I left Sooz at the Hotel after breakfast and wandered off to Sainte-Chapelle for my 10am timed visit. I wasn't the only one there - there was a healthy Gendarmerie presence - several vans parked alongside the building and half-a-dozen or so armed officers out the front. I had to pass by two officers at a barrier to gain entry to the area. As I stood in the line, I found myself looking at the other folk in the line, joining the line, just walking by the line. I don't know what it is about authority figures with guns but they make everyone look suspicious. And once the line started moving, we realised it had been taking so long because there was a security check point just inside the building including a full-body scanner. I'm not sure if this is the usual protocol or if it's because of an increased security alert status. Two armed folk (not Gendarmerie) wandered by at one point with all the usual gear (semi-automatic rifle, handgun, collapsible baton or was it a truncheon?) plus a short hose draped over one shoulder - were they expecting to have to deal with gas of some kind?
It was a relief to finally get to Sainte-Chapelle untl I saw the narrow circular staircase up to "a unique set of stained glass windows". There are 1113 scenes in the glass, and it is impossible to take it all in - either on a physical level or with a photograph from floor level. I have seen some from mid-ceiling height and they can start to suggest the scale - but even that doesn't do it justice. And, there's not just the glass. There's the chandeliers, the busts, the painted decorations (from the 19th century restoration), the starry sky on the ceiling, the Rose of the Apocalypse and 44 medallions painted directly on to the stone or inlaid glass. Beautiful!
And then there's another narrow circular staircase to get back down to the lower gallery. I thought about taking a photograph or video on the way down the stairs but recognised that as the sheer lunacy it was: instead I took a photo of other people going up the staircase - or tried to until they bailed within the first few steps and came back down.
Outside there were plenty of gargoyles to admire - and I do love a good gargoyle. Sooz says they were modelled on real people who had upset - was it royalty, or perhaps the stone masons? It's not very nice but it's one way to be immortalised and/or remembered.
I collected Sooz from the hotel at noon and we headed over to La Marais aka the Jewish area of Paris, for lunch and a wander. We ate at Breizh Cafe (another Les Frenchies recommendation) - gallette (savoury crepes - Provincale) for me and a sweet caramel crepe for Sooz. Then we ambled off down the road in search of facilities because the ones at Breizh were up some very steep, dark stairs. Thanks but no thanks.
The public toilets were where they were supposed to be (I have downloaded a new toilet-finding app called Flush on to Sooz's iPhone) but they were closed. Next stop: any establishment with accessible toilets - the Picasso Museum was starting to look good! But on the next corner there was a cafe - with an accessible toilet, so we fell in there (not literally) - and after we'd used the facilities (with its unique cistern/flush), we sat and had a drink while we worked out where to next.
Musee Rodin won out - as mentioned in the Louise Penny book 'All the Devils are Here'. It's where Armand Gamache and his godfather Stephen Horowitz meet in the gardens when they are in Paris, near the statue of 'Le Pensevr' aka 'The Thinker'. I had seen the statue from the top deck on my BigBus tour and from the Musee's website we knew we could visit the gardens for free. Can you believe a website can be wrong? The gardens are no longer free to visit but they are included in the price of a ticket to the Musee. Two tickets later, we were in the garden and couldn't believe it when the first thing we saw, even before 'Le Pensevr' was a little brown rabbit. Did I mention I saw two white swans while I was on my way to Sainte-Chapelle this morning?
There was only one person trying to get her partner to do 'the pose' - which turns out not to be that easy. As a gentleman who came along not long after said, he believes Rodin had chosen a pose which would be difficult to replicate; also that Rodin's statues usually had very large (disproportionately) hands and feet. It's certainly hard to sit like 'Le Pensevr' on the steps of the pedestal; they are quite narrow - but you do need room to put your bottom to even try to do the pose.
We tried a new place for dinner this evening - La Diva Des Pres - which is notably pink and welcomes 'all divas'. We went anyway and had a wonderful meal. They burned Sooz's dessert - Crepes Suzette - very impressive. And I have to say my cappuccino is the best I've had in Paris - which is odd since it was served in a long-stemmed glass and came with a straw.
