AFTERNOON PLEASURES!!

After those hot days I wrote about, it cooled off for a few days, and it was wonderful!  With our large "portes fenetres" (door windows) we could open up most of our rooms and take in the cool breeze.   But, alas, the hot days are back.  Next week it's supposed to get to 98!!!!  EEEEKKKKK!!!!!

Earlier this week we decided to visit another church that's a little outside the city.  The Basilique de Saint Denis.  It's located in the village of Saint Denis , and we took a 40-minute metro ride to get there.    A friend of ours, hearing we were going there, said it's fine during the day but not so safe at night.  Good to know!

The metro station where we arrived was very nice but when we emerged from it we knew "we weren't in Kansas any more Toto"!!!!  There was a HUGE market going on just steps from the station, and it's very obvious you've entered into an immigrant community.  It was warm,  and I really had no interest in browsing the market so we went directly to the basilique.

The Basilique de Saint Denis

It's really not unlike many of the other churches we've visited during our time here.  The biggest difference is it stands on the site of a cemetery with the tomb of Saint Denis, thought to have been the first Bishop of Paris martyred around 250AD.  It became one of the most powerful Benedictine abbeys in the Middle Ages,  and most of the kings and queens of France were buried here from the 6th century onwards.  

You can walk around the church at no cost, but if you want to tour the tombs and crypts there is a fee and an audio to aid in your visit.  It really was amazing!  The tombs are topped with a statue of the deceased, though the statues don't necessarily resemble the deceased.  In other areas there were just statues marking a king's reign.

Tombs like this were everywhere!

There is a beautiful statue in the St. Louis Chapel of King Louis XVI and Marie-Antoinette praying that I loved.  It was commissioned by Louis XVIII when the ashes of the king and queen were returned from the Madeleine Cemetery in Paris in 1824 and was completed in 1830.  The graves holding their remains is found in the crypt.

King Louis XVI and Marie-Antoinette

The tombs of Louis XII and Anne de Bretagne are represented dead, naked and flayed inside the Carrara marble tomb and alive and praying on the upper part.  The tomb is surrounded by the twelve apostles.  David and I walked around the tomb multiple times to see if we could distinquish which disciple was which.  But we really couldn't.  Perhaps a theologian would see something present in each man representing his identity.

Louis XII and Anne de Bretagne

In the lowest level where the crypt is there is an archaeological crypt that shows the remains of earlier structures.  I know this picture isn't very clear, but it made me think of Indiana Jones or National Treasure!!!!!  That all of these structures have been preserved all these years is mind boggling to me. 

I can imagine the excitement when this was unearthed!!

In this basilique 42 kings, 32 queens, 63 princes and princesses and 10 great men of the realm were buried including Napoleon I.  In addition to that, the first official histories of France were written by the monks of Saint Denis.  It's really a beautiful memorial.  And all from a little village church outside the city of Paris.......

The next day after all that history and death (!!!), we went with friends to see "Mamma Mia Here We Go Again".  I'd seen some interviews, read some reviews so knew a little about what to expect.  As before when we went to this theater, there were just a handful of us there...like a private showing. But it was air-conditioned, there was popcorn and the seats were comfy so it was a great way to spend the late afternoon.  I loved the movie even though there is some sadness.  There is also great music, love, and laughter and......I love me some Cher!!!!!  

After the movie, which is in a really nice area that's pretty and very quiet, the four of us found a cute little cafe and had a light dinner outside.  The sun had set a little and there was a breeze and it was delightful.  I think the movie was at 4:00 and we were getting on the bus headed home about 9:15, I think (give or take!!).  It was a fun evening!