Day 18 - Mon. June 27, 2011: Paris

I had another day full of sightseeing in Paris. I started out by going to Sainte-Chapelle, a beautiful church near my hotel. Sainte-Chapelle has 15 huge stained glass windows and is an example Gothic architecture. I then walked a few blocks to Notre Dame. The outside of Notre Dame is very intricate and stunning. Unfortunately, the hunchback decided he did not want to make an appearance today. I then took a leisurely walk to the former location of the Bastille. The Bastille was a fortress/prison in Paris and is famous because the French stormed the Bastille in 1789, which is considered to be the start of the French Revolution. Today, the Bastille is no longer standing, but a monument has been built in the place where it used to stand.
I was tired of walking so I hopped on the Metro to visit the Arc de Triumph and the Moulin Rouge. The Paris Metro is very crowded and hot since the trains do not usually have air conditioning. Tomorrow is my last day in Paris. I will be taking a train back to Frankfurt in the evening because my plane leaves on Wednesday morning for Washington D.C.

Above: The exterior of Sainte-Chapelle.

Above: The beautiful stained glass windows in Sainte-Chapelle.

Above: The exterior of Notre Dame.

Above: Some gargoyles at Notre Dame keeping watch over the church.

Above: The interior of Notre Dame.

Above: The monument where the Bastille was located.

Above: The Arc de Triumph

Above: The Moulin Rouge. Nicole Kidman and Ewan McGregor were not performing today