...and then headed for la Basilique de Sacre Coeur. This church is unlike any other.
It's also a long way up! Caelli and I took the funicular; Phil went up all those steps! There were no photos allowed inside, which is a shame for you at home. It's a lovely big church based on domed ceilings, and there are lots of them inside. Some are plain, some are mosaiced (is that a word?) We'd only been in there for five minutes when a nun started singing - the beginning of morning mass. We quickly took a pew. Caelli was able to understand most of the sermon (the priest wasn't very loud); I picked up words here and there. Lots about choices, pushing and spirit. After mass we walked around the whole church, then we decided to do the paying bits - the Dome and the Crypt. There were 300 steps to climb to get to the Dome - most inside a dark, narrow, creepy spiral staircase, but some outside as well.
Once up there, the views were amazing. Looking down the front of the church and all the staircases.
Views over Paris with the the Tour Montparnasse on the left and the Eiffel Tower on the right. Note the gargoyle in the bottom right!
Then there were views with some of the smaller domes, and the bell tower (the second shot with me in it). I really enjoyed being up so high, although it was extremely cold and the wind was bitter.
The walkway went around the entire 360 degrees.
Some shots when we went down again - different route, but there was yet another dark, narrow, creepy spiral staircase (which is, of course, impossible to photograph).
The crypt was also huge. This is an amazing church! It was built around 1870 (from memory). Then we had to go down all those stairs again! Caelli took the funicular to rest her foot (she still limps a bit, but at least she has no artificial aids any more). Have a look for the black windows at the bottom of the largest dome. They're at the same level as the minor domes. That's where we were!
Back on the metro - this time headed for the Basilique de St-Denis, 9 km north of Paris, where most of the kings and queens of France are buried. Entry into the church is free, and the stained glass windows are pretty special. This one reminded me a little of St Paul's Cathedral opposite Flinders St Station - at least, on the inside..
After that, we paid to go into the Crypt.
The statues of King Henri VII and Queen Anne of Bretagne (who died around 1515) are in a carved marble enclosure (can't think of a better word). Henri and Anne are the ones lying down. Their statues are on top of their bodies (what's left of them).
King Henri II and Queen Catherine de Medici were buried together. When Henri died (around 1447), his widow Catherine kicked his mistress, Diane de Poitiers, out of the Chateau de Chenonceau (which was given to her by Henri) so she, Catherine, could live in it (see the blog on Chenonceau). Don't blame her. Didn't find Diane interred in St-Denis, so she got the better of the mistress in the end!
After that, we caught a tram and a bus back to Caelli's apartment. Caelli cooked tea whilst Phil did some running repairs - basin, wardrobe doors, kitchen sink and kitchen cupboard door. Caelli now has a fully working apartment (just when she's about to leave for a month's holiday!)
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