I was in my happy place on the train, with a view of the beautiful French countryside, a cup of coffee, and a German-Parisian to chat with. Our conversation went a little like this:
me: "I know a little, but I'm sure I'll butcher the French language."
him: "Butcher?"
me: "Uuuuh....destroy?"
Once there, our first sight to see was Notre Dame. Amazingly, we were allowed to tour the church in its entirety while a Mass was going on.
We made a mad dash for the Miraculous Medal Shrine, where with 2 minutes left to closing we literally begged a little nun to allow us in: "Prier pour une minute! Please!" It was definitely a moment we could physically experience how Mary guides us to her Son.
We then trekked up the hill to the Sacré-Cœur (Sacred Heart) Basilica to check in. The rooms were a steal for 5 euros per person, and a promise to each take an early morning Adoration hour. For those of you who don't know, Catholics believe that during the Mass, the bread and wine are changed into the true Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity of Christ. The hosts that are not consumed within Mass can be displayed for all to adore. As He is vulnerable in this state, He cannot be left alone, and Adoration requires that a practicing Catholic act as a guardian at all times that He is present. The amazing thing about the Sacré-Cœur is that they have had Perpetual Adoration since 1885, so someone has been praying there for 24 hours day, for over 125 years–and we participated in this tradition!
Our view of the dome from our bedroom window.
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