As a tourist, I do my research. Consulting a guide book before I arrive in a city, I decide on my top-five sights to visit and chart them out on a map. Whatever happens, I’m going to make sure I visit those five locations because I’m a man on a mission!
Next I identify my next five sights, in case I find myself gifted with a bit of extra time. Beyond that, I leave room for aimless wandering and the recommendations of locals.
Take Paris for example, a city loaded with world-class attractions. If it’s my first trip to the City of Lights, I’m definitely visiting the Champs-Élysées, the Eiffel Tower, Notre Dame, the Arc de Triomphe and the Louvre. With extra time, I won’t be missing the Musee D’Orsay, the Centre Pompidou, Sacre Coeur, the French Quarter and the Catacombs. The list goes on and on.
Not long back, however, I was sitting in a Parisian café, enjoying an espresso, when I overhead some locals talking about the wonders of Sainte-Chapelle. Whatever it is, it doesn’t come up in Trip Advisor’s Top-Ten-Must-See list. Forget the guidebook –I’ve gotta check this place out!
Located in the middle of the River Seine on the Ile de la Cite, Sainte-Chapelle (English: Holy Chapel) is a royal chapel in the grand Gothic style.
Consecrated in 1248, Sainte-Chapelle was commissioned by King Louis IX of to house his collection of Passion relics, including what was reputed to be Christ’s Crown of Thorns. Along with the Conciergerie, Saint-Chapelle is one of the earliest surviving buildings of the Capetian royal palace. Damaged during the French Revolution, the chapel was restored to its previous glory in the 19th century.
Although historically noteworthy, what makes Sainte-Chapelle truly dazzle is its large array of stained glass windows. Whereas Notre Dame often feels dark and stultifying when standing inside, spending time in Sainte-Chapelle is like stepping into a delicately adorned jewel box. It’s relatively small area (like a religious tiny house) is suffused with light and color! Stained glass everywhere you look! Sainte-Chapelle is truly an under-appreciated gem, made more special by its smaller crowds and relative lack of fame! Put it at the top of your list…or better yet, scrap your lists and start listening to locals!
(It’s easy to get enslaved to our own plans, isn’t it? The famous places must be the best places – or so the logic goes. And yet, how often do we discover that the little-known sights are the most worthwhile! This applies to people as well. You go to a business function, with the intention of meeting friends and co-workers, and perhaps, if we’re lucky, chatting up the luminaries: the speakers, the top brass, your supervisor, whomever. And then you get to the event and wind up striking up a brilliant conversation with the most fascinating, non-famous person you’ve ever met. Jim the acupuncturist who has studied with the Dalai Lama. Mary the beekeeper who knows everything about honey. Steve the professor who is writing a book on Japanese trains. My point is: It’s great to have a plan; you have to do your research. But be open to random leads and random conversations. Hidden discoveries and profound insights are often one non-planned conversation away.)
(Dave Blum is the creator of Dr. Clue Treasure Hunts, www.drclue.com, a teambuilding company featuring over 150 treasure hunt locations worldwide. He has visited over 40 countries in his 60+ years of life and plans to keep traveling until he gives up the ghost. Dave lives in Northern California with his wife, Donica, and their 18-year-old Maine Coon, Ava — an indoor cat who dreams of one day escaping captivity and exploring her own neighborhood Wow Places.)