Grand Finale...

Because we had accomplished so much during our first 48 hours in Paris, we took our last day at a more relaxed pace. We went out of our way to stroll through some parks and gardens while walking to and fro the churches and museums that were still on our list. The sky was gray, but we were looking at vibrant stained glass, masterpiece impressionist paintings, and world famous landscaping, so it didn't feel a bit drab. We started the morning off at Sant Chapelle. Honestly, I don't remember much about the historic significance of the church. I think at one point in time they claimed to possess the crown of thorns that Jesus had worn when he was crucified. They supposedly acquired it from Alexandria? Sorry, maybe Google would do a better job of providing the background information. Anyway, I hadn't visited there with my parents because we just ran out of time. And judging from the outside of the building, I didn't think that I had missed much, so I wasn't too disappointed.

See? It's pretty, but it doesn't appear to be anything extraordinary.

But this time around we stopped in. Rick had listed it as a 3-star attraction, meaning it was a must see, so we took his word for it. There are two levels. The entrance guides you into the lower chapel, which is unique, but not overly awe-inspiring.

In one corner you find the oldest wall painting in France. Or was it in all of Europe? Sorry again. Wasn't devoting a lot of effort to memorizing the facts at this point.

Most of the walls and pillars were covered in what made me think of medieval wrapping paper. Couldn't you just see this castle print on a gift intended for a little boy who is having a 'knights of the round table' birthday bash?

We looked around for a few minutes, and then, feeling like we had seen what we needed to see, we ventured up a tiny spiral staircase toward the upper chapel. I'm beginning to expect that at the top of every narrow spiral staircase there is something breath-taking. I've been trained, like Pavlov's dogs, minus the slobbering. And when I walked into the upper chapel (sneezing very loudly and breaking the silence) my expectations were smashed to smithereens.

Wowzers. That's a hefty amount of colored glass. So many tiny panes!

The rose window at the rear of the chapel depicted judgment day. Jesus, armed with a sword in His mouth, was at the very center.

There's a closeup.

My neck was killing me from looking upwards at all the colors.

The detail was incredible. Each window told a different story from the Bible, starting with creation in Genesis and ending with Jesus' second coming in Revelation. It's one of the only places that the windows are meant to be read from bottom to top. This one was in the Esther section, one of my favorite Biblical accounts. I'm not sure who these guys are supposed to be, but the ones on the right look like they are chewing out the group on the left.

Moral of the Sant Chapelle story: You can't judge the beauty within by the plainness without. There is treasure to be discovered if you are willing to dig beneath the surface. (How's that for a fortune cookie saying?)

After exiting Sant Chapelle, we were practically around the corner from Notre Dame. We decided we needed to see it in the daylight.

Some crazy Scottish girl took our picture in exchange for a recording of us saying happy birthday to her friend Trevor. She couldn't figure out how to get all three of us and the whole church in the background, but we were just glad she didn't take off with the DSLR. She was really tall, and those long legs probably could have outrun us.

Once we got our fill of Our Lady's exterior, we detoured through Luxemborg Gardens and then met up with Maggie again, this time for lunch at a place called Merci. Thank goodness for her French language skills. I couldn't count how many times we asked her, "What does that mean?" about the items on the menu.

We loved hearing her stories about taking care of three precious kiddos. And did I mention before, she lives in the Real World Paris house? What a job.

The blonde side of the table. Lovely. We also learned from Maggie that in France, they will never rush you out of your table, even if there is a mile long line of people waiting to be seated. You still have to ask for your check whenever you are ready to be done. And restaurants are required by law to supply you with tap water if want it. Sorry mom and dad, I didn't know that rule. Probably could have saved some coin at mealtime.

Next stop, Musée D'Orsay, home to an extensive collection of Van Gogh, Monet, Manet, Degas, and Renoir paintings and sculptures. We got off at the Tuileries metro stop so we could mosey through the grounds before crossing the river to the museum.

I really liked the red boxy trees.

But I liked these three doggies more. A Schnauzer, a German Shorthaired Pointer, and a Saluki. The Pointer was chasing his toy like a madman, and the Saluki flat out rejected me when I reached out to pet him. He was too busy keeping an eye on his two pals.

Ok, the Orsay. It used to be a train station, so it had a unique floor plan for an art gallery. I would show you the interior, but photos were expressly forbidden. Rule follower.

The signage gives you an idea of the art we went there to see. The elephant not so much, but he is cool. You can't see it, but there is a gorilla biting the elephant's ankle. Gotta watch out for those aggressive monkeys.

Sneaky sneaky Jen Jen couldn't resist taking a picture of her favorite room. And just so you know, the naked man statue was not the reason why it was her favorite. She liked the water lily series that was behind the nude dude. 

Nearing the end of our energy and getting hungry for some crepes, we took a breather at this clock window. We could see Montmartre in the distance. Nice place to rest. We unashamedly sat on the floor. All the school kids were occupying the chairs. Oh well.

After seeing a Van Gogh self-portrait, we high-tailed it out of there to track down a crepe stand. Found one right outside the museum, and it was hands down the best one I had eaten on the entire trip. It contained only butter and sugar, but what else could you need? Then, it was off to Sephora on the Champs Elysees. I wanted to stock up on some makeup, and there are no Sephora stores in the UK. Don't know why. (But it kinda felt good to pay in euros instead of pounds. I can only imagine how ecstatic I will be to see dollar signs again.) With that accomplished, we were tuckered out. Found a cafe for dinner, winded down with some dessert, and said bonsoir to Paris.

Our international dessert consisted of an Irish coffee, Italian tiramisu, and hot chocolate that probably didn't come from France. Delish.

The next morning, it was au revoir and back to England. Pulled into St. Pancras right on time. We enjoyed some food from Marks & Spencer, coffee from Costa, and hopped on our last train to Cambridge.

The Olympic rings hanging in St. Pancras make me excited for the Games, but also make me so glad I will be back in the States while they are happening. Too. Many. People.

Arriving back at the Grant flat was such a welcome relief. I could unpack my bags and not have to repack them again for two months. My wonderful husband had done all the dishes, made our bed, gone grocery shopping, and did an overall superb job of making sure everything was ready for us to get there. He even had garlic chicken marinating for dinner. So although he did not do any guest writing for the blog while I was away, he certainly was not idle around the house. One more thing and I'll stop bragging about him, but he had gone to Fitzbillie's and gotten some surprise goodies to celebrate Jenna's birthday. So, not only did she get to spend the first day of her 23rd year in Paris, London, and Cambridge, she got to blow out a candle and munch on a fondant frog.

Ribbit.

The last full day that Jenna and Allison spent in Europe was packed with college visits, tea, Indian food and Modern Family. Their farewell dinner was held at The Anchor pub, and we were joined by Asha and her friend Matt. It was tough to say goodbye, but also comforting to know that I would have those two sweet girls to look forward to during our trip to the States in March. I cannot express how grateful I was that they spent their hard-earned money and took vacation time to travel so far and come keep me company. It was so uplifting, and I know we will cherish that week for the rest of our lives. I'm looking forward to more vacations together in the future, when I'm sure that even when there are kids and husbands joining us, we will feel like we have picked up right where we left off. BFforL. (Best Friends for Life. I totally just did that. Bam.) Love you, girls!