Day 6 was a pretty rainy day, but not enough to keep us from visiting Château de Vincennes.

But first we stopped at a pâtisserie and ordered deux éclairs frais (two strawberry eclairs). This only added to our daily food adventure, which does not come with pictures, unfortunately. I had already explained to Doug the sublime experience of food in Paris, and the eclairs were nothing short of a culinary miracle. Small whole strawberries resting in custard lined the inside of the eclair, the top coated in sliced almonds and powdered sugar. Magnifique! The miracle is the freshness of the food and the fact that you can taste it. American food tends to be over sweetened; too many preservatives. You buy a pastry in France and you aren’t overwhelmed by too much sweetness and really doughy bread. It’s flaky and full of flavor. One of my favorite experiences going to France is trying different kinds of pasties and meals.

Château de Vincennes! This really got Doug’s attention because he loves castles. In fact, he had me constantly rolling my eyes because anything a few hundred years old “isn’t really that old,” so seeing him perk up over a 14th century castle was pretty cool.

Sainte-Chapelle

A clsoe-up of the clover leaf design in the windows.

The Donjon (Dungeon).

Inside Sainte-Chapelle.

A cryptic scene in one of the chapel’s rooms leading off from an antechamber.

The Donjon’s walkway from the upper ramparts.

Sainte-Chapelle and the queen’s quarters from the Donjon.

Writings of the Marquis de Sade encased in glass within the room where he was imprisoned.

Some of the writings projected upon the dungeon wall.

After leaving the castle we walked around for a bit and I got us lost. It took up a good bit of the day, but we eventually found our way back to the metro station and hopped the C Train to Versailles. We were too late to start a tour, and so went back to the hotel. A fairly short day for pictures!

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