I had some trouble uploading a few brief videos from my trip. The problem is now solved, so here are a video shot within Sainte-Chapelle and one taken during my sojourn to Versailles. I genuinely lack any movie-making prowess, and my camera is really designed for snapshots, not videos. Nonetheless, I hope these give some sense of the experience in these two awe-inspiring locations.

What would you do if you had could spend half the gross national product on your home? With such an unfettered budget, you could do worse than follow a path similar to France's King Louis XIV when he built Versailles (pronounced "ver-SIGH"). Overall, Versailles is an architectural and landscaping masterpiece. Restraint was not characteristic of the French royal family, and the building and grounds of the palace show what can happen when a whim is allowed to bec...

Hello again, Blogonauts! On Friday, I began to catch up on some of the Parisian sites necessarily omitted from last August's itinerary. First stop was Sainte-Chapelle, the remnant-chapel of a now demolished castle. King Louis IX built it to contain the souvenirs he brought back from the Crusades (hence "Sainte-Chapelle," which, if you believe Babelfish, means "Holy Vault"). First and foremost of these treasures was a relic they believed to be Jesus' crown of t...

Thursday held a fairly light agenda. I've been going nearly non-stop for a week, so today I allowed myself a later start. And the hotel seems to understand this: They continue to serve petit dejeuner until 10 AM. In the late morning I ventured out to buy a 2-day museum pass, which begins on Friday. And Sunday is the first Sunday of the month, when all the Paris museums are free. I then set about pursuing options on the tourist's a la carte menu. Hence, the subt...

Some days of travel follow a course that you could never predict. I left Bruges late Wednesday morning, bound for Paris. The return trip was a bit easier, since I knew what to expect. Back in New Hampshire, when I broke out my travel gear, I found a still-unused Paris subway ticket. So when the train pulled into Gare du Nord, I avoided the insufferably long cues at the Metro info counter and simply used my ticket from last August. The Paris subway is chocked f...