First, we went to the catacombs. They're an underground tunnel filled with piles and piles of bones and creepy messages on the walls to scare you. It's dark, wet, and cold, and so deep that it's below the metro! This is my second time, and I suppose it was better this time since I understand French better. I actually took the time to read all the plaques on the walls and to take pictures of the ones where it was light enough since you aren't allowed to use a flash. Alexandra liked the piles of bones, and asked if she was allowed to touch them. The guards said sure, but then checked her bag on the way out. She's a necrophiliac, isn't she?
Stop: This is the empire of the dead
They made a heart out of skulls - isn't that cute?
Good thing they're religious when they take bodies out of cemeteries and stack the bones underground...
Where is death? Always future or passed. At least she is present when already she is no longer.
After the creepy catacombs, we went to La Sainte Chapelle since it was sunny. There's also a Consiergerie there, so we saw that first. It was where political prisoners were held for short periods of time during the Revolution of 1789, including Robespierre and Marie Antoinette. It's not very interesting since nothing there is original, and they're doing construction on Sainte Chapelle, so it was slightly less breathtaking, but it was still a good excursion. Oh, and did I mention this and the catacombs were free since I'm art history? Well, I'm not art history, but CUPA says I am, so Paris believes them.
Maximilien Robespierre spent his last moments in this place.
"I leave you my memoir. She will be dear to you and you will defend her."
The last king of France - with that nose, you can't be too surprised
The outside of the building
The windows in Sainte Chapelle
The pictures really don't do it justice
A rose window (not the Notre-Dame one, obviously)
After Sainte Chapelle, we wandered around Chatelet looking for something to eat. Alexandra has gotten annoyingly particular about what food she will and will not eat, and has recently developed an addiction to sushi, apparently. So, we got Japanese again. But, I didn't mind because there was dessert sushi on the menu! It was like in the Gilmore Girls episode when Rory didn't get to go to Asia, so Lorelai made Asia in their house for Rory. She had Sookie teach her how to roll her own sushi, and she invented dessert sushi, which she and Rory agreed would really be popular if anyone ever decided to market the idea. Well, my nutella and banana sushi really was interesting - there's rice in there too!
Finally, after my dessert sushi was done, we went to Le Jardin des Plantes and wandered around the menagerie which, unfortunately, was not free - it was 6 euros for students.
Me in front of some pretty flowers that matched my shirt
A very organized, Cartesian garden
Buffon - he's probably an important French guy, but I can't remember what he did.
Flamingos!
Tortoises!
A monkey!
And last but not least, Hedwig!
That's it for now. I am officially not going to be able to go to Spain, so I'm going to need to figure out what to do during my spring break stranded in Paris. Hopefully, I'll come up with some blog-worthy activities.
I loved all the pictures. It looks like you had a great weekend! You will have fun showing Emma around if she is able to get to Paris. I am sure that you will find lots of fun things to do over your vacation. When I tell people you are stranded in Paris in April they can't seem to muster much sympathy for you.
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