Notre Dame, Sainte Chapelle, Conciergerie

Today we had a private walking tour of Notre Dame, Sainte Chapelle and the Conciergerie. Our guide Manuela met us at a local cafe along the Seine. From there we went to Notre Dame where we learned many interesting facts about its history. The cathedral is 853 years old and is the most visited place in Paris. It gets more visitors than the Eiffel Tower. From there we had croissants and hot chocolate at another local cafe ( but Melissa had espresso! ) and then on to Sainte Chapelle. Sainte Chapelle was built by Louis IX. It is a beautiful cathedral surrounded by the walls of the Conciergerie building. Before the building became the Conciergerie (government buildings) it was palace to King Louis IX and after the completion of Sainte Chappelle he could walk from the top floor in the palace to the upstairs church. Saint Chapelle is actually 2 churches in one. The top floor church for the King and underneath the bottom floor church for the commoners. Its history is fascinating. During our tour of the Conciergerie we saw a room which at one time was the king's banquet hall, the prison cell where Marie Antoinette was held before her execution and we continued to learn more historical facts. Pictures are a statue of Saint John Paul II with Notre Dame in the background, a stained glass window from Sainte Chapelle, the outside of the Conciergerie alone the Seinne and the food of the day: hot chocolate !!