I first visited Paris at age 24. It was my first time overseas and I left behind everyone I knew in the world to tour Europe. Paris was my first stop on the continent.
A Little Back Story
My most beloved grandmother was half French. Her mother was raised in Paris and had left France to avoid an arranged marriage. She met my great grandfather, a Scotsman in Canada. The two were wed and had three children.
My grandmother, born in 1905, was their youngest. She grew up in Portland, Oregon but was raised speaking French. As a young woman she went to France herself to study at the Sorbonne. Thanks to her family and travels, my grandparent’s home was filled with French books and art prints grandma had acquired over the years.
Seeing Paris
All of this is to say, being in France the first time... I felt like I was coming home. If not home, at least to my homeland. Experiencing the sites, sounds and smells of a place generations of my family had once lived was incredibly powerful. On top of that... Paris is one of the most beautiful cities.
The first place I saw in Paris was Notre Dame.
We were driving towards the city at sunset when I first spotted the cathedral. It was beautiful and imposing. Much bigger than I had expected it to be. Seeing Notre Dame was history come to life. No other place in Europe took my breath away like Notre Dame and my first views of Paris.
Seeing the cathedral burn today is heartbreaking.
It is a bit privileged to mourn a building. Especially when one considers all the terrible things happening every day in this world. But this building has served as the heart of Paris and France for over 850 years!
Think of all people who have prayed here and walked under the building’s towering Gothic architecture. It survived revolution and two world wars... only to burn today in what seems to be a fire related to restoration efforts.This is a huge historical, architectural and artistic loss.
In April 2013, I finally made it back to Paris and to Notre Dame. We stayed in a hotel just one block away from the cathedral. This meant we passed it every morning before throngs of tourists filled the area. On our visit we went inside Notre Dame twice. I lit a votive there for my grandma and thought of her while gazing up at the famous rose windows.
2013 was also the 850th anniversary of the cathedral’s construction. At the time we found three commemorative medallions celebrating the milestone. They aren’t silver or gold but I treasure them all the same.
Notre Dame was built on the ruins of a Roman temple. The first stone was laid in 1163 and completion of the cathedral took nearly 200 years. Time and civil unrest took their toll on Notre Dame and a major restoration effort took place after the French Revolution.
The building is (was) considered one of the world’s finest examples of Gothic Architecture. The spire was as tall as a football field is long, and the interior could accommodate 6000 worshippers. Approximately 13 million people visit Notre Dame each year.
So sad that such an amazing piece of architectural history even if you're not religious
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Indeed. And despite how people may or may not feel about the various religions, each one has historically been the best keepers of their area’s histories, relics and artworks. It is such a loss.
That fire is a tragedy — and you’re hawt! 😍👍
your Welsh counterpart was thinking the exact same thing!!
And me too
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Initially I thought it was a movie when I zapped to a channel first time with the fire suddenly on the tv screen. You would think they were more clever nowadays with construction work going on. Very sad and a trauma for the French population.
I was just shocked. Losing anything you take for granted as always being is hard. Imagine all the litigation that will come from this. The restoration company will surely go out of business. No amount of insurance can cover such an error.
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Oh, my! What a tragedy for such an iconic building to have caught fire. 😯
You are such a cutie in that top shot! Fabulous smile! 😍
Awe shucks. You are too kind. ☺️
I am super relieved Notre Dame wasn’t completely burned down.
That is awesome! I've never been to France, though I'm dominantly french too. I'm jealous LOL!
Add it to the list! It is a beautiful county all around. ☺️
🇫🇷 🥐 🍟🥂🍾
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