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Paris, France
A man melts the sand so he can see the world outside
Two photos inaccurately squeezed together to create an accurate feel of the greatest single (interior) space in Paris. Sainte Chappelle is often overlooked in a city often too busy for its own good. A small though spectacular church originally built to house what was blindly believed to be the original crown of thorns, it quietly sits a block and a half away from all the notoriety and crowds continually massing at Notre Dame. Once inside it is not hard to become one with the giant light box- high, intricate colored glass framing you in all reasonable directions.
A close up of the glass with a few heads thrown in for scale. Even under partial renovation, you still find yourself amazed at how well a steady sun and fickle clouds can live up to such unsaid promises, such untold glory.
Inarguably the greatest (gothic) cathedral ever completed, the pride of Chartres is big, damn big. An absolute monster of a church originally built to house what was blindly believed to be the original tunic worn by Mary on that fateful and legendary day c.2002 years ago, the Cathedral has stood finished for some 800 years, its sculpted heads still staring in whatever direction worked for some guy back in the 1100s.
Familiar to the initiated, Chartres is one hour away from Paris, just past the edges of the Loire Valley and home to the best baguette I have ever had in my life. While my 2002 baguette (from a different shop) could never even hope to live up to a five year old memory, it was still damn good, as close to perfect as someone unplagued by such memories could ever truly hope for.
A vertical, bankside view of Notre Dame in Paris, as the gargoyles do their best in unison to escape the binding and unforgiving stone .
