Paris - Day 7 Aug 14

What a perfect day weatherwise...  bright and sunny with a gentle breeze and a high of 83 (28C).  People were bustling about everywhere.  Sunday in Paris!  😊

I stayed close to home today and explored the treasures within the Ille de la Cite.  First off was the local market.

On the normal days it is of fruits, produce and plants.  But on Sunday, it has a vibrant trade... exotic birds.

Birds of all sizes and colors in rows of cages.  There appear to be several birds that I recognized from Australia but the names they had on the cages were different.  It was a sight to see.

From there on to the cathedral of Sainte Chapelle.  It was a cathedral built in the 13th century to house the relics of the crucifixion.  It is one of the most astounding stain glass window examples I have ever seen.

The structural columns are minimal which gives way to highlight the 15 panels of windows as the one above.  The chapel is bathed in beautiful colored light.  Each one of the panels tells a story.  The detail of the windows and the intricate painted images that decorate the walls and ceilings were beautiful.  

The walls and columns were done in blue and gold with the fleur de lis of the 

King as well as red and gold for the colors of the queen.

The ceilings were royal blue with the flier de lis patterned upon it...

The floor where it had not been worn down had decorations adorning the king...

After the cathedral it was on to the Crypte Archeologique Du Parvis Notre Dame.  In the sixties it was decided to build an underground parking garage for the cars visiting Notre Dame.  As they began excavating the grounds just in front of the cathedral a great discovery was made.  They uncovered the ruins of the first Roman settlement on that site.  The first city of Paris.  They uncovered the original Roman city walls, streets, foundations for houses, cellars and an intricate bath house system complete with hot running water.  Needless to say, they changed the plans for the underground parking garage and moved it farther south.  If you haven't visited the site, it is worth a look.  It seems very early on in the history of Paris the Romans were much cleaner than the later inhabitants.  The Romans bathed daily and held cleanliness in high regard.  Whereas with King Louis XIV it was said that he took a total of 68 bathes in his entire lifetime.  Hence the development of French perfumes to cover the body odor and the use of the powdered white wigs to cover the greasy dirty unwashed hair.  😳

And here is a local Parisian cooling off from the warm summer day:

A beautiful black flat coated retriever leaping into the Seine after a ball that was thrown.  He was the happiest dog.  He reminded me of my golden in that he never seemed to get tired of retrieving the ball...  ☺️

To end the day I was treated to an unexpected pageantry.  There was a celebration of the Virgin Mary out of Natre Dame.  First there was a series of large barges carrying well over a thousand worshippers holding candles and singing hymns.  It was dark so it was a moving scene.  They disembarked at a point and formed a procession carrying a statue of the Virgin Mary.  They were led by a number of priests some of them holding crosses.  The procession moved the mile or so til they got to the cathedral of Notre Dame.  As they approached the cathedral, the churches bells began to ring.  They rang out loud with their sound filling the entire area.  It was so melodic.  It was beautiful and moving.  A fitting way to end a glorious day.