Paris, Day 6: Notre Dame, Saint-Séverin, Panthéon, and Jardin du Luxembourg.

This was our last full day in Paris. We woke up, had breakfast, and then we headed to Notre Dame for 10:00am Mass. But, this was not just any Mass -- all of the singing and many of the prayers were done in Gregorian Chant. The Mass was conducted in Latin and French, but despite the language barrier, it was an incredibly moving hour spent. The music was absolutely beautiful, and I cannot imagine a more gorgeous setting. I thought of all of the people who had sat there and participated in the same ritual through the years. Pretty cool.

A picture of the interior of Notre Dame.


After Mass, we went to see Sainte-Chapelle, tied with Notre Dame in my book for most beautiful Parisian church. However, the line was over two blocks long. There was so much more to see, Josh suggested we keep moving, so we did. Next time. :)

Our next stop was Saint-Séverin, a lovely old church on the Left Bank.


We left Saint-Séverin and headed back toward our hotel on Rue de Carmes. This is the street of our hotel -- right next to my old apartment.


We passed our hotel and continued up the hill toward the Panthéon.






Inside the Panthéon.


This pendulum swings with the earth's rotation, and, as a result, reflects the time. Pretty smart.


We went down into the Crypt of the Panthéon to see some famous graves.

Voltaire.


Alexandre Dumas and Victor Hugo.


Marie and Pierre Curie.


Walking out of the Panthéon, you look directly across the small square at this lovely building, which is where the law courses were conducted when I studied here.


We left the Panthéon and started walking in the direction of the Luxembourg Gardens.


But first, lunch! I had the best crepe -- with "bacon" (which was really cured ham), cheese, potatoes, and onions. So good!


After lunch, we braved the cold and went to the Luxembourg Gardens and Palais de the Luxembourg, former home to Marie de' Medici and current home of the French Senate.


We decided we could get used to living there.


After the Luxembourg Gardens, we walked through shops in Saint-Germain-des-Prés. Sadly, most shops were closed, including my absolute favorite -- a small vintage shop full of vintage Chanel, Hermès, and other lovely items I probably would have only admired and not purchased. I suppose it's for the best.

We took the Metro to the Champs-Élysées for a little more shopping and then headed back to the Latin Quarter for dinner. It will be an early night since we need to be up bright and early to catch our flight back to the States.

It has been a wonderful and memorable trip! I have loved blogging instead of writing in a travel journal like I used to do. (Partially because it's so much easier to paste pictures in with descriptions before I forget what we did when, and also because it's actually quicker to type this up than to write in a travel journal. Laziness wins the day, I guess.)

I wish we could stay another week, but reality awaits. Au revoir, Paris!