Greek angels in the Louvre.

Roman angels in the Louvre.

A store I liked, though it tended towards cherubs and not the majestic, scary angels I prefer. This was in Montmartre; there is a store called Maison Thuillier, on Place Saint-Sulpice, that is the best religious store I've ever visited...tons and tons of gorgeous images, icons, postcards, etc., all very well chosen with a minimum of sentimentality and kitsch (though I admit I'm quite partial to those, too). The family in front of me in line spent well over 200 euros and I was sorely tempted to outdo them...but the thought of lugging all the stuff home held me back...for some reason, the Maison's web site only seems to feature medallions, which is too bad.

I would sit on the little balcony of my hotel room every evening with a glass of absinthe (believe it or not, often missing home!)... at night I'd leave the window open so the room wasn't stifling, and the noise of the city was the best lullaby I could imagine.

Sainte-Chapelle. It was under heavy renovation but you could sort of get the effect of all that stained glass.

Another (internal) pilgrimage symbol: the labyrinth in Chartres Cathedral. Apparently one day a week they take the chairs off it, but this was not the day; since I walked around and around that church inside and out, I gave myself an honorary merit badge anyway.

Another view of the palm pillar.