LE WEEKEND

Well, I can't believe that another weekend has passed us by and we're just a little bit closer to Christmas! Our paper tree is still alive a kickin' too!

We had a nice weekend here in Paris. Natalie was working nights but still manage to see the light of day and come out on the town with me! On Saturday night we went to the Katia and Kyliemac 200th episode spectacular at The Great Canadian Pub. For those of you who don't know about these crazy ladies, check out their shenanigans at http://www.katiaandkyliemac.com/. They do a bi-weekly podcast on all things French and Parisian, and they're kind of a big deal so check it out!

Our hinterland

Later that evening we went across the river to check out the Christmas tree in front of Notre Dame and I may or may not have channeled the music of on Cindy-Lou Who!

Glamour shot!

VIDEO: The music stylings of the lovely Jacie Patzer

It was once again the first Sunday of the month, so we took advantage of the free admission and went to check out the infamous Saint Chapelle.

HISTORY BITES:

• Saint Chapelle was built between 1242 and 1248 as commissioned by Louis IX to house the relics of the Passion of Christ.
• The Holy Relics had belonged to the emperors of Constantinople since the 4th century.
• By purchasing the relics (including the Crown of Thorns and 30 other relics), Louis IX hoped to make Paris the second capital of Christianity and paid an unbelievable sum of 135,000 livre to purchase them (The chapel itself only costed 40,000 to build).
• The great shrine of the upper chapel used to display 22 relics of the Passion, including the fragment of the Holy Cross and the Crown of Thorns, but was melted down during the Revolution. The remaining relics are now kept in the treasury of Notre-Dame de Paris.
  
• The church itself is made up of a lower and upper chapel. The lower was a place of worship for the palace staff and the upper was was used to display the relics and it is here where the king and his close friends and family came to worship
• The lower chapel's highlights include: the azure vaults with golden fleur-de-lys, as well as a 13th century fresco depicting the Annuciation which is the oldest wall painting in Paris.

The lower chapel

• The upper chapel is beyond description. It's stained glass windows are considered the best of their type in the world. 15 stained glass windows depict 1,113 scenes from Genesis to Christ Ressurection and the Western Rose at the end of the chapel illustrates Christ's return to glory at the end of Time to judge the dead and living. Much of the chapel has been repaired and reconstructed over the centuries but astonishingly 2/3 of the stained glass are the originals!
  

The upper chapel

Here's a map of the stained glass

http://www.planetware.com/map/saint-chapelle-map-f-f22.htm

VIDEO: Words and pictures just couldn't do this justice so check out the video!

After to basking in all that is Saint Chappelle, we went for a walk around the Latin Quater and Ile St. Louis.

Nat in front of the Palace of Justice

Street vendors along the Seine

Where's Jacie?