Colorful Sainte-Chapelle

November 2: Built in only six years (1242-1248), Sainte-Chapelle delighted with colorful paint on the walls and ceilings of the lower chapel. Golden stars decorated vaulted ceilings of blue while burgundy wraps the pillars.

We climbed a staircase to reach the upper chapel, whose walls were almost entirely of stained glass.  Unfortunately, the circular, stained-glass surround around the altar was buried under scaffolding and wood for maintenance. We thus missed the church's most spectacular effect.

It was particularly frustrating since we stood in line for a while to go through security. The church is located in the high-security Palace of Justice complex, with airport-like security measures. The Museum Pass did not allow us to bypass the line, which was annoying, since those who bought tickets could skip the queue.