Paris à Pied: Exploring the City of Love in 30 Hours

I spent 30 hours in Paris this weekend–a whirlwind vacation. My friends were busy, so I hopped on a train by myself and came to the City of Love. (Pairs is both the City of Love and City of Lights). Lucky Paris–to be known for both great things!

Paris cafe with lights and wicker tables

Paris Catacombs

I kicked things off with the Paris Catacombs. The underground quarries here were begun in the 14th century and then later abandoned. In 1774, parts of Paris collapsed and Louis XVI created a department to protect the quarries and fortify them so they did’t continue to collapse. Major health problems from overfilled cemeteries and charnel houses also plagued the city. It was decided to move the bones to the quarries.

grafiti of a skull outside the catacombs

In 1797, the first bones were moved from Paris cemeteries, specifically from Saints-Innocents cemetery, which had been in use for 10 centuries, to the quarries. There are a lot more leg bones than skulls because in mass graves the bodies are piled on top of each other. As bodies decompose and only bones remain, the thinner bones of the skull are crushed, but leg bones remain intact. Many of the skulls are now just fragments and are pilled behind all the carefully arranged bones.

The bones were originally just dumped into the quarries, but one man decided to organize them. He stacked skulls and leg bones into patterns. It was creepy already, but made more creepy by the fact that some of the bones in the catacombs are from 14th century plague victims.

Pile of leg bones and skulls — Translation: *Stop. This is the empire of the dead*.
(Remind you of anything? Hint: my favorite movie series).

Translation: *Stop. This is the empire of the dead*.
(Remind you of anything? Hint: my favorite movie series).

The Big Three: le Louvre, l’Arc de Triomphe, et le Tour Eiffel

After lunch, I checked off many of the well known Paris sites such as the Louvre, the Champs-Élysées and the Arc de Triomphe, and the Eiffel Tower.

I needed a rest—I walked over 17 miles this weekend!

I ended the night with a glimpse of the National Assembly and a walk through the Marais district, stumbling upon something new and grand every other block, like the City Hall and the Tower of Saint Jacques. The moonlight made the tower particularly ominous.

Île de la Cité: le Conciergerie

The next morning I set out for the Île de la Cité. I saw the Notre Dame and read about the fire on the temporary walls surrounding the church. Then I ventured over to the Conciergerie, part of the former Middle Ages palace, then a prison during the French Revolution, and today the Palais de Justice.

Time for a mini history lesson on the Île de la Cité:

In the 5th century, Clovis I united most of Gaul (what is modern day France), kicking off the Merovingian dynasty in France. Clovis built his royal residence on the Île de la Cité, though, he wasn’t the first to build there. A Gallic tribe had lived there for a few centuries, first settling the Île in the 1st century BC. But Clovis I made it the home of France’s Kings. Clovis also converted to Christianity, sowing the seeds for the close relationship between France and the Catholic Church.

In the 14th century, with so many other castles in Paris to choose from, Charles V appointed a concierge to run the palace and prison. This was the building’s transition to a judicial role. Then, during the French Revolution, the Conciergerie housed the Revolutionary Tribunal where prisoners were sentenced to the guillotine.

This hall was built in 1302 and was used as a reception and dining area.

wood table with a lamp, shears, and basket

This was the Grooming Room where prisoners had their hair cut before their execution so the blade wouldn’t be hindered by their hair.

Marie-Antoinette was a prisoner here for 76 days before being executed. Also, it’s said that Robespierre, who was partially responsible for the many killings during “The Terror” that followed the revolution, was also held in a cell near here before he was executed several years later.

Stained glass window with Marie Antoinette's symbol

Île de la Cité: Sainte-Chapelle

purple stained glass windows stretching floor to ceiling in narrow arching panes

Next, my visit took me to Sainte-Chapelle. This church was built in the 13th century to house relics, specifically the Crown of Thorns. Louis IX bought the crown in 1239 for more than it cost to build the entire church. Bringing the Holy Relics to France made Paris the “New Jerusalem” and the second capital of Christianity.