I Can Breathe!

 We've had a quiet week this week, what with Chris's cold, my dicey breathing - and - my catching cold, presumably the one Chris had. However, one high point was getting a FedEx package with 3 months worth of one of the meds I've been missing. Thanks, Erik Hromadka, for arranging this ultimate care package to me! I'm breathing much better now - even with a cold.

That being said, our sightseeing points this past week were le Palais et le Jardin de Luxembourg, Sainte Chapelle, and an exhibit at the National Archives. We chose the palace and gardens as an outing where we could spend time hanging out and resting. We are so impressed with the way the French take time for leisure, family, and sports and games. All were on view in the gardens. It was especially fun watching the boys sailing their boats in the fountain. You can view a video of this on my FB page.

The palace is, of course, impressive:

Also impressive were the huge topiary trees on the other side of the garden. We tried to imagine how they were shaped. But up close, they didn't look excessively cultivated.

We spent a bit of time catching our breath and people-watching before heading home.

Our other outing for the week was Sainte Chapelle, a 13th-century royal chapel on the Ile de la Cité (an island in the middle of the Seine, where Notre Dame is located) with spectacular stained glass windows. When we first entered, it was a relatively small space with a gift shop, some modest stained glass, and a few pieces of old monuments. I thought to myself, "This is nothing but a glorified tourist trap." But when I said this to Chris, he assured me this wasn't the main attraction. We saw a small sign pointing to a small, dark spiral staircase and took it up to the main space. As I turned a corner into the space, I gasped "Wow!" OK, this was Sainte Chapelle.

You can also view a panoramic video of the chapel on my FB page.

One Sunday afternoon we passed the Musée des Archives Nationale and saw that they had an exhibit called "Sacrilège: L'Etat, les Religions, et le Sacré" (Sacrilege: The State, Religion, and the Sacred). We vowed to return to see the exhibit. We went this week. Chris describes it as a standard 1950's exhibit in terms of presentation. But it was interesting to see the issue of religion in the public sphere from the perspective of France. I actually had a conversation (in French) with a woman about the exhibit and the issue. I was so grateful to her for tolerating my mangled French - but also so happy to have the opportunity to speak French with a native speaker.

Well, for a quiet week, we did a lot! More next week. I hope you all are staying cool.