On the first Sunday of each month many of the museums in Paris are open to the public without any charge.  Since the Professor had not been back to the Pantheon since the late 1960s AND he had recently read an article about it, we decided that it would be our first stop on our first Sunday of February.

The Pantheon is so vast that it truly does leave one in awe.  We looked around at the upper part of the building (which has its dome being repaired) then walked down to the crypt.  Marie Curie is the only woman who is buried here.  I don't think that she is the only woman of note that France has produced, but the reality is that history seems to belong to the men.  Women have had very little voice in the world until the last few centuries.  Maybe that is part of why I have always been a fan of Joan of Arc/Jeanne d'Arc.  Although her remains are not interred here at the Pantheon, her likeness is portrayed.

Record of those who died at the guillotine.  No reason to smile.  

Later in the afternoon we visited Saint Chapelle, the Conciergerie and a small bird market that is held each Sunday.  

The conciergerie started as the residence for the king's guard but evolved into a prison.  It was the type of prison where prisoners with money could pay for a room with only one person or perhaps a private one.  Also with money they could arrange to have meals brought to them.  It is thought that Marie Antoinette spent part of her last days housed here.  

Years ago I visited Saint Chapelle on my own.  I had a museum pass and was seeing everything that I could fit into my two or three days.  At that time I was struck by how light and airy the upper chapel was.  I don't think that any of these photographs captures the light that enters the chapel.  After going to many dark and heavy churches, it was almost a joyful experience to come to a place of worship where the light coming through the stained glass windows lifted my spirit.