france

The Basilica of the Sacred Heart of Paris, commonly known as Sacré-Coeur Basilica, is a Roman Catholic Church dedicated to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. It combines Byzantine and Ancient Roman architecture and provides amazing views of Paris. We got some particularly good photos of the Eiffel Tower from there, stopped to watch a guy juggling fire torches and listened to a group of Jamaican Rasta guys singing. It was fun to see an extremely eclectic group of people all hanging out on the huge lawn and coexisting peacefully. 🙂 if you ever get the chance to visit there- hold on tight to any valuables! The pickpocketers are relentless!

Gargoyles were built into the ends of gutters to drain rainwater off the roof. The gargoyles extend far off the side of the roof to prevent any water damage from occurring to the walls. I thought they were there for hundreds of years, but something I read said they were built in the 19th century. (Not too sure about the accuracy of that.) I also heard there are around 5,000 gargoyles placed throughout the entire building! Now that’s alotta’ gargoyles!

Construction of the church began in 1163. In 1239 The Crown of Thorns was placed there.

Voltaire was a French Enlightenment writer, historian and philosopher.
Louis Braille invented a way for people with blindness to read. Braille was based on a tactile military code called night writing that was developed by Charles Barbier. Napoleon wanted a way for his soldiers to communicate silently at night and without any light so Barbier used raised dots for the men to feel. Because of new technology for sight-impaired people to read and write, Braille usage has declined considerably.

Em has always loved science and talks about wanting to possibly be a marine biologist some day (she loves animals and the ocean.) She read all about Madam Curie and the contributions she made to science. Incidentally, Marie Curie is the first and only woman (so far) to be honored with interment in the Pantheon based on her own merits. She was also the first woman to win the Nobel Peace Prize. ‘You go girl!’
Fun factoid about the documentation she left behind: “because of their levels of radioactivity, her papers from the 1890s are considered too dangerous to handle. Even her cookbook is highly radioactive. Her papers are kept in lead-lined boxes, and those who wish to consult them must wear protective clothing.” Wow!