Woke up nursing a bad flu today, probably caught a chill from running around the whole of Paris yesterday. Nevertheless, we were determined to make up for yesterday by trying to cram as many sights as we could today.
1st up was the gothic Notre Dame Cathedral. Being monument starved Singaporeans, we oohed and aahed over its intricate architecture.
The girls were happy to be let loose into the open after the stuffy confines of the centuries old cathedral
While the Liew family went to check out a quaint little town nearby, we forged ahead to the Conciergerie, where famous names like Queen Marie Antionette were imprisoned.
Poo Poo princess was at it again, so mummy here had no choice but to change her in the gallery where the prisoners were kept. Hope we didnt offend the sensibilities of any century old ghost lurking around!
After her satisfying poo, princess had to eat. So what else but to feed her, albeit surreptitiously, near Marie Antionette's prison cell? No pictures here...cos was busy trying to keep out of sight of the suspicious guard, who must definitely be wondering why this chinese family was so fascinated by Marie Antionette that they hovered near her cell for close to half an hour!
We met up with the rest at 2pm at the Deportation Memorial, a place modeled after the actual camp where the nazi prisoners were kept before they were executed.
A tempting view of the river and just a small expanse of sky were all that the prisoners could see of the outside world
I was particularly choked up by a poignant message that was carved on the walls of the exit. "Pardon, pas oublier" which meant "Forgive but never forget". But that's just me...sentimental fool...
Next stop was the Saint Chapelle cathedral with its stunning stained glass windows. It was supposed to take your breath away as "time stood still as light danced in the shimmering glass" vividly described by the guide book which we carted everywhere with us.
If u ask me i was a little disappointed that the cathedral was so small. In my mind's eye, i had the impression that it was huge and so ostentatiously opulent that it takes your breath away. Still it was a pretty sight and definitely worth the visit.
The dazzling stained glass...
...and the pretentious tourists!
By then it was evening time and i was ready to collapse; my whole body was aching from the flu and i was coughing so hard my lungs felt like bursting. We decided to head back to the hotel while the Liews went on with their adventures; but not before some pics in front of the Palais du Justice.
Terelle is still struggling to be let loose...
The brave parents and the oblivious tots!
On our way back to the hotel, we decided on the spur of the moment to drop off at the Saint Sulpice church, which would ring a bell to fans of the "Da Vinci Code". Although i was dying to lie down, the visit was pretty interesting.
It was an unassuming church, without any fancy architecture. But the interesting stuff were within its walls...
In front of Saint Sulpice, a nondescript church in the middle of a shopping district
There was a notice in the church which informed visitors that the "Rose Line" is actually a meridien line that was part of a scientific instrument built here in the 18th century. It was never a vestige of pagan temple and that the letters P and S in the small rounded windows refer to "Peter" and "Sulpice", the patron saints of the church and not the fictional "Priory of Sion".
We had a good laugh at this revelation but at the same time agreeing that Dan Brown had one helluva imagination!
Clockwise from top left: Exterior of the church, the "Rose Line", the sanctuary and its immense organ
Dinner was settled at a Chinese take out and we carted the food back to our room to eat. We knocked out soon after, including Terelle. Guess everyone was really shacked out!
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