Farewell: Starry Sky and Wildflowers

Our long journey through Sainte-Chapelle is drawing to a close. After craning your neck to decode all that glass overhead, it's probably stiff by now. If you're a believer, the satisfaction of having read through the whole Bible should more than make up for it; if you're not, the satisfaction of having conquered a great pillar of Western civilization will.

Here is what to see once you step outside. Right next door, a one-minute walk away, is the Conciergerie, the prison where Marie Antoinette was held before her trip to the guillotine. If you bought a combined ticket, visit it today. It's remarkable to see side by side how a building that was once part of the same royal palace survives as a beautiful chapel on one side and a chilly prison on the other. Five minutes' walk brings you to Notre-Dame, where the Crown of Thorns we've talked about all day is actually kept. Visit both on the same day and you'll walk with your own feet the five-minute stretch the crown traveled when it moved to its new home after 800 years.

One more romantic tip: this upper chapel hosts classical concerts every evening. String chamber music such as Vivaldi's Four Seasons is often on the program, and hearing strings while surrounded by 800-year-old glass is a truly special experience. Tickets must be booked separately from your admission ticket and seats fill quickly, so check ahead. Search online for "Sainte-Chapelle concert" for the schedule. In summer, when the days are long, pick an early-evening performance so you can enjoy the music and the view while the light in the windows is still alive. Late shows are held after the windows have gone dark.

On the way out you'll pass the flower market on the Île de la Cité, said to be the oldest in Paris. The 13th-century wildflowers you just saw on the capitals are still being sold on the same island 800 years later. If you have time for a little more walking, the Pont Neuf and Place Dauphine at the island's western tip are lovely, too. They are quiet and less touristy, the perfect place to quietly let everything you've seen today settle.

One last thing. The light you saw today can never be captured in a photo. So rather than a photograph, remember the overwhelming blue pouring down on you when you tipped your head back, and the way your heart raced. Everyone who climbed these stairs 800 years ago felt exactly the same, and you are now the most recent person in that long procession. That is the story of Sainte-Chapelle. Thank you for climbing up and down the narrow stairs with me. Please remember this light for a long time. And mind your step on the way down.