The ceiling of Sainte–Chapelle is dazzling. On our fourth day in Paris, Linda and I went to church...two in fact...Notre Dame Cathedral and Sainte–Chapelle. After breakfast in our Hotel Beaugency in the Rue Cler neighborhood, we took the metro (subway) to the Ile de la Cité, the island in the middle of the Seine River.

Linda located Point Zero, the exact center of Paris, right in front of Notre Dame, the second most famous Catholic church, the church in Rome being the first.

Charlemagne, who sits astride a horse in the Notre Dame place (plaza), founded modern France and was crowned Holy Roman Emperor in 800 AD. After Viking raids and a period of peace, the cornerstone for Notre Dame was laid in 1163. It took 200 years to build, but it has survived war, pestilence, and famine for 647 years.

We were lucky to be able to attend a service in the cathedral. I took a seat on the first pew and took a few photos of the priests – a young woman and two men. Not being Catholics, we skipped communion and wandered from sacred site to sacred site amazed at the faithful workmanship behind each one.

The arch over the altar in Sainte–Chapelle depicts saints and angels guarding the Crown of Thorns relic that rests under the altar. At noon we crossed to the Left Bank and had lunch at an open–air cafe. I regretted I had not worn my beret and open–necked peasant shirt. We topped off our artichoke crepe and Belgiun beer meal with

deux boules de caramel

beurre salé glace (two dips of salted butter caramel ice cream for you non–French speakers).

Back on Ile de la Cité, we walked right into Sainte–Chapelle, a Gothic church with a more beautiful interior than Notre Dame. It was built in only five years, 1242–1248, to house the sacred Crown of Thorns worn by Jesus on the cross. The brilliantly colored ceiling is magnificent. The 15 stained glass windows, floor to ceiling, depict major Christian events such as Cain clubbing Abel, Moses in the bull rushes, and Jesus on the cross. The gigantic rose window shows believers what to expect on Judgment Day.

The Notre Dame Cathedral is located at Point Zero, the center of Paris, on an island in the Seine River. The walk back to our hotel was relaxing. The French people went about their daily life. Women with baguettes tucked under their arms pushed strollers with smiling little faces peeking out. Men in dark gray suits, narrow ties, and scuffed shoes checked their cell phones. Young men and women played soccer, volleyball, and ran around the parks like gazelles. No one yelled. Surprisingly, very few smoked. Buses, taxis, trains, and boats packed to the brim carried their passengers without horn blasts or tire screeches. Paris is surely the most civilized city in the world, I thought.

The bridge over the Seine with Notre Dame in the background is a favorite site for wedding photographs. Next week:

Pére Lachaise Cemetery
What is better than lunch at an open–air café in Paris overlooking the Seine?
Followed by caramel ice cream?
The front façade of Notre Dame (Our Lady) has three portals: Portal of Mary, Last Judgment, and Portal of St. Anne. The rose window has f igures of Mar y cradl ing God between two angels.
Believing that “Light is divine,” the architects of Sainte– Chapelle created huge stained glass panels surrounding the upper half of the altar.
A Catholic priest and his assistants serve communion (Eucharist) in Notre Dame Cathedral.