Are you trying to tick off your 100 things to do before you die?

That's the question my sister asks when I expressed my wish to visit the Sainte Chapelle in Paris, right after we had just visited the catacombs.

This weekend we had a family gathering in Paris. Sometimes it is easier to meet half way, at least for those not living in Paris. On top of very important things like finding shoes for the wedding, I wanted to visit the catacombs.

When I moved to Paris to study I wanted to visit them. Back then they were closed and stayed closed for many years. By the time the re-opened, I was working and could only go there during the weekends. The few times I tried I faced a line that was at least 3-hour long and gave up.

This time was the one. I dragged Wolfram out of bed early enough so we could be there at the opening. Sadly we were not the only with that idea and there was already quite a queue. Estimation from Wolfram: 400+ people. The catacombs only allow 200 people inside at a time; this meant we were facing two hours of queuing. This time as I said I was determined. We had picked up breakfast at the bakery and were ready to stand in line. At least me, not so sure about Wolfram who kept looking desperately for a Starbucks he could quickly go to.

The line was moving very slowly, but we stayed.

It rained a bit, but we stayed.

Wolfram wanted coffee, but we stayed, for two hours, patiently.

Until we reached the entrance. We were number 414 and 415 that day.

We quickly walked the 130 steps down to enter the catacombs and its labyrinth of tunnels.

The first part of the catacombs is only tunnels. I somehow find fascinating to walk the streets of the city, underground and unnoticed. Basically it’s a whole city that is down there, hidden from us. As the city was being built, stones were extracted from underground leaving this labyrinth. In my mind I could picture all the adventures that happened down here: thieves escaping the police via those tunnels, messengers going from one building to the other unseen…

Second half is breathtaking. It’s the ossuary. From 1787 to 1814, bones from the graveyards of Paris were transferred to the catacombs. There are six to seven millions of bones stored! Strangely or maybe in a macabre way, the bones have been placed in a way to look pleasant to see. I was expecting stacks of bones, and I found bones that were neatly organized by size and drawing lines or arches. Very impressive, especially as we walked by the bones of people who died during the French Revolution in 1789. I was picturing the owners of those bones, fighting in the streets of Paris for their rights.

Sadly I forgot to bring my camera (Wolfram had his). This means I’ll have to come back another time to take pictures.

That’s one thing less that I wanted to do at least once in my life.

The next one was the Sainte Chapelle. I lived many years in Paris, I’ve visited some places several times, but some never. The Sainte Chapelle is one of them.

Another early wake up for Wolfram, this time on a Sunday (sometimes I wonder whether he fully realized what it meant to marry me). We grabbed breakfast on the way and were in line by 9:45am. Not the first ones, but close enough to visit the place with limited number of people… until a group of 50 people showed up.

The Sainte Chapelle was built in the XIIIth century upon request from king Saint Louis (Louis IX) to house the relics of the Passion of Christ. It’s a pure gothic building. Almost an archetype of what gothic style means.

There are two chapels in the place. The lower one has a very impressing painted ceiling. The upper one is unbelievable. After climbing the steps, as you enter the upper chapel, everybody stops, realizing what they are facing. Stained glass windows all around in a level of details as it’s rare to see.

15 stained glass windows, no less representing 1113 scenes from the bible. Everywhere you look it’s beautiful and brings the question of how many hours it took to create this. I was speechless, still am. All these years in Paris and never realized I was right next to such beauty.

Again, no pictures as I left my camera in Belgium. But I will come back and maybe even attend a concert as something tells me it must be an outstanding venue for classical music.