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 thorns. When the French Revolution threatened their keepsakes, the church officials moved them a few hundred yards from the royal church to Notre Dame, where they remain.

Now, as then, the chapel is renowned for its awe-inspiring walls of stained glass. Gothic architecture is usually known for its massive elements (columns, arches and vaulted ceilings), but here Gothic has become delicate. Exterior buttresses hold up the roof, so the walls are liberated from that heft. Louis' architect filled them with stained glass. The windows contain over 1000 panels telling stories from the Bible, and culminating in the story of how the relics held here were brought to France. As you may imagine, Louis plays a hero in the tale.

Sainte-Chapelle Chapel is now encircled by the French Justice Department, which also houses their Supreme Court. Therefore, everyone who enters the church must undergo the same security check you would endure prior to entering a court house: metal detectors and x-rayed handbags. This tends to slow access to a trickle. Luckily, the museum pass lets you start near the front of the line, thereby skipping nine-tenths of the wait.

Next I walked the few blocks to the entrance to the Louvre. Oddly, I was walking along pet shop row. Storefront after storefront sold puppies, guinea pigs, tropical fish, and for the holiday, bunnies.

The Louvre holds the reputation of being the biggest art museum in the world. Its collection stretches from antiquity (Greek, Roman, and Middle Eastern) to the mid-19th century. Contained within are numerous masterpieces, including the Code of Hammurabi, Venus de Milo, Winged Victory, the Mona Lisa, and many other works by Da Vinci, Michelangelo, and other Renaissance artists. I took over 100 photos while in the Louvre, and I won't bore you with them all, but I've included a few that I enjoyed seeing.

Touring the Louvre is expected to be overwhelming. I had downloaded onto my iPod an audio tour of the museum's highlights, and I used it to help contain my visit. However, distractions are easy to come upon.

By the end of my visit, weariness probably robbed from me the capacity to take in the details that render a painting a masterpiece. Nonetheless, I emerged better versed in the transitions from one form to another, and thus better at placing a painting in time without having to run and look it up.

On Saturday I visited another masterpiece, but this one played a 20th century role.

Blog to you later!