I was out the door by 8:15am this morning; a rarity for a non-travel day. However, I was determined to see Notre Dame before the hoards showed up at 10am. It worked. When I arrived about 8:45 there were people milling around, but not a lot and they were a mellow group. There was a 9am Mass, so I went to that then made a couple laps around the church to see all the alters/chapels along the perimeter. I know I'm supposed to say it was the most awesome church ever, but it just didn't blow me away. Don't get me wrong; it is gorgeous, but I've seen a lot of gorgeous churches. I think my expections were too high, and I had an attitude from the crowds. The difference between this and other churches is that it has had the backing to be kept in great condition.

After that I walked a couple blocks over to The Second Most Famous Church in Paris, St. Chapelle. Again, it was fine, but my expectations must have been too high once more. This church is known for its stained glass, but as I mentioned during my visit to Metz, its cathedral has the largest collection of stained glass in the world. St. Chapelle didn't stand a chance. OK, I was still in the mood for church-seeing, so I started visiting some others that I had heard of on the travel blogs. Most were in the Latin Quarter and Saint Germaine. It was a lot of walking, but it was great. I got into three churches, couldn't get into one, and couldn't find another. However, it was worth it. The churches were goreous with about 10 people in each one, at most. That was fun.

I also visited the Pantheon which was a church but is no longer. It is the final resting place of several famous Parisians, including the Curies, Victor Hugo, and several key figures from the Revolution. It was a fairly quick see, but I enjoyed it. Next I went to the Cluny Museum, which focuses on Medieval Art. I'm fairly 'arted out', but there was a tapestry there I wanted to see. Again, I knocked out the whole museum in about 20 minutes, but it was worth the visit. Ohter than the tapestry, I loved the room that held stone heads from Notre Dame. These heads (the biblical kings of Judah) were once on the front of Notre Dame. When the inmates were running the asylum during the tumultous revolution years, a clueless mob thought the heads were the kinds of France, so they decapitated the. According to Rick Steves, someone gathered up the heads and buried them in their back yard, where they stayed until 1977 when they were accidentally dug up. Again, take war out of the equation, and think of all the great treasures of art and architecture that would still exist. Men!

OK, by this time I'm starved, so I head to the island of Ile St. Louis, a little island in the Seine which is right next to Notre Dame (which is also on an island in the Seine.) I had an "ok' omelette at a restuarant there, followed by some spectacular gelato. (Truth be told, I've never had unspectacular gelato.) I also did some window shopping, some chocolate shopping, and saw what may have been my favorite church of the day. Granted, this is a very high rent district, and the church reflected it. It is only a stone's throw from Notre Dame, but it was stunning. I have a pic to share.

After that I headed to the apartment to chill for a bit, then I waited until dark to do a boat ride on the Seine. It lasted about an hour and was fun, although I could have done without the couple making out behind me. Seriously, I have never seen the public displays of affection like I've seen on this trip. Latin lovers, I guess. Anyway, I have some decent pics of the Eiffel Tower at night, but not much else. I'm still struggling to figure out how to take night picture well, and a moving boat does not help. After the boat ride, I went to the Christmas Markets on the Champs-Elyesses. Not much there, but I got a hot chocolate and a scarf so I can fit in with the French. Everyone wears scarves.

That was it for today. Time is ticking; I'm down to three full days left. Tomorrow may be cemeteries and Montmarte.