The AS Monaco vs. Montpellier Hérault match from mid-February was postponed due to bad weather, but I still wanted to see Monaco play. Fortunately, Monaco visited Paris on March 4 to play Paris Saint Germain for a French Cup match, and I was able to see the game on a Wednesday night after leaving the office a bit later than usual (Parc des Princes is a 10 minute walk from the OECD's Delta Annex).
PSG won the game 2-0. Monaco looked tired and outmatched, which was surprising since they dressed a similar lineup to the one that beat Arsenal in Champions League play (1-3) in London. The extra matches they are playing may have contributed to the fatigued play. The stadium had a great atmosphere, but it wasn't as energetic as the Champions League match vs. Ajax from last Fall.
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| Parc des Princes during the PSG vs. AS Monaco match. The cheaper ticket (€7.50) got me a seat at a lower viewing angle in the corner of the stadium. |
As I've already covered some of the major art museums in Paris, I thought I'd give a quick rundown of the various churches that I've visited over the past six months. While the churches in Paris are not as ornate or as historic as the ones in Rome, there are still some culturally significant churches around Paris and I've managed to see five of the better known ones.
Notre-Dame de Paris
Paris' most famous cathedral. This is a heavily visited tourist attraction but the lines move quickly so you don't have to wait long to get inside. Masses are offered regularly (there were probably four timeslots on the Sunday that I visited) although they are either entirely or mostly in French, and you'd be attending the mass while hundreds of tourists walk around you while taking photos. The interior is somewhat dim, with several candlelit alcoves containing altars, confessionals, prayer stations and artwork. I should also mention that Notre-Dame is on the Ile-de-Cité and is right next to the Seine, so you also get an excellent view of the river from around the cathedral grounds.
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| The main entrance (Western side) of Notre-Dame when I visited last August. |
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| The main altar, well illuminated by the sunlight on an August afternoon. |
Sainte-Chapelle
I have to admit that I had never heard of Sainte-Chapelle until I saw it as a highly ranked landmark on some travel lists. Sainte-Chapelle is a medieval Gothic chapel known for its stained glass windows. The chapel is no longer operational (i.e. no masses are offered), so it is solely a tourist attraction now and is moderately frequented given that it is also on the Ile-de-Cité, one block away from Notre-Dame. It is also the only church that I visited where admission is charged, although admission is free on the first Sunday of the month during off-season (November to March). The chapel is small so it only took me 20 minutes to see all of it, and I probably spent 25 minutes waiting in line, but it was well worth it. The stain glass windows are intricate and recount some of the more famous stories from the Bible. I visited on a cloudy day, which gave the windows a dark blue hue.
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| A distant shot facing the front of Sainte-Chapelle chapel. |
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| A closer shot of one of the stained glass windows. |
Sacré-Coeur Basilica
Among the churches in Paris, Notre-Dame and Sacré-Coeur are the two headline tourist attractions in the city. While Sacré-Coeur has an impressive exterior and interior (photos not allowed inside), I think what really boosts its popularity is the view of the city that you get from climbing the hill to the main entrance. The one downside is that you have to deal with a fair share of con artists and pushy beer salesmen if you climb up the main stairs. The side stairs avoid this hassle, but this can involve taking some side streets that aren't as safe as other tourist areas. The basilica is in a rougher part of the city in the 9th arrondissement. While I think the area is still reasonably safe, the shady entrepreneurs on the main steps are what likely contribute to the basilica receiving a lower rating on travel sites like TripAdvisor.
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| The main entrance of Sacré-Coeur during a visit in early September. |
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| A view of Paris from the main entrance. |
Saint-Germain-des-Près
The Abbey of Saint-Germain-des-Près is one of the oldest churches in Paris, dating back to the 6th century (although it has been rebuilt a few times since then). While the exterior looks somewhat plain, the interior contains impressive classical artwork. There was also a side-wing containing a secondary chapel, which during my visit was being used to exhibit some contemporary art from the area. This church offers masses daily.
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| The exterior of the Abbey of Saint-Germain-des-Près. |
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| The interior of the Abbey of Saint-Germain-des-Près. |
Chapel of Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal
After living in Paris for six months and regularly visiting the city's landmarks and museums, the Chapel of Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal ended up being the top rated Paris site on TripAdvisor that I had not yet visited. So of course I had to make a visit and cross it off my list. Not that there is anything wrong with the chapel, but I think the TripAdvisor users overrated this one a little bit. The exterior of the chapel is almost nondescript, and you wouldn't even know there was a church there except that the alley leading to the chapel entrance has two religious statues along one wall. The interior is very well lit by the sun, and the artwork has a more modern feel. The chapel may be popular because apparently there was a Marian apparition here, so many Catholics like to make a pilgrimage to this site.
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| The interior of The Chapel of Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal during a Sunday service. |
Next up... I am heading to Portugal next weekend. I will post details later this month.
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