Day 2: Towers and Tombs

It’s amazing how a lack of sleep can suck the enjoyment out of the day. When you’re walking around all day on four hours sleep it rapidly sucks the life out of you.

Despite this I mustered up enough energy to see all the days planned sites. It began with a walk around the Eiffel Tower. Perhaps France’s greatest architectural symbol, not even the Coronavirus could really hamper the crowds to this monumental structure. I thus contented myself to walking around the base as the sun shone down upon from above.

A walk past France’s answer to Sandhurst, Ecole Militaire, I made my way to Les Invalides. The equivalent of the Royal Hospital Chelsea, this impressive complex now houses a military museum and boasts it’s own cathedral.

Most importantly however are the tombs that lie under the great gilded dome of Les Invalides. Here are interred the bodies of Napoleon Bonaparte and other members of the imperial dynasty. Even as a mortal enemy of England, Napoleon is one of the greatest military minds in history and as such it was a privilege to have gazed upon his tomb.

After briefly resting my legs in the gardens of Les Invalides I hoped on over to Sainte Chappele and the Palace of Justice.

Walking into the upper chapel of this gothic church has the be one of the most breathtaking moments of my life. Huge stained glass windows take up most of the walls, turning the room pink as the sun shone through the blue and red glass. No photo can ever do it justice. If you’re ever in Paris, take a moment to visit.

Next up was the Palace of Justice. Once a royal palace, it became a prison after the revolution. It’s most famous prisoner, Queen Marie-Antionette spent the last of her days locked up in this foreboding medieval building.

Not happy enough with seeing dead royals and their prisons, I finished the day at the Catacombs. Below the streets of Paris, 6 million bodies are interred in the former limestone mines. It is a grisly yet fascinating look at how Paris dealt with its overflowing cemeteries.

Finally, my energy depleted, I slowly made my way back to the hostel and had a nice long nap. Now, filled up with a burger from the hostel restaurant, I think its time for bed.