Seems appropriate to start the post here.
Point Zero marks the center of Paris.
I won't go into too much details about the visit to Notre-Dame since it's a revisit. Just a few thoughts.
What? Stained glass windows can be opened? Mind blown.
Towers of Notre Dame - another item off the "To Do" list left from my previous Paris visit. Due to the towers' popularity and limited capacity, we got in line a good thirty minutes before opening time. By the time the gate opened, the line was wrapping around the block.
While waiting, this guy showed up.
The vaulted ceiling of the gift shop/ticket office.
So. Many. Stairs.
It was a difficult climb, made worse by the nausea-inducing spiraling stairs.
When I saw this dude, it was all worth it.
Known as Le Stryge ("the vampire"), he is the most famous of all Notre-Dame grotesques (gargoyles, a sub-classification of grotesques, have sprouts).
Left: belltower, Right: some of the corners can be a real tight squeeze
It would have been so much nicer without the ugly metal netting, but I suppose safety first.
Look at them, aren't they just fantastic? From where did the craftsmen conjure them up?
We even got the chance to enter and climb up inside one of the bell towers.
So awesome. But I'm glad we were gone by the time the bells started to ring.
Fantastic views.
We then proceeded up an even narrower and steep staircase to the top of one of the bell towers. Everyone was only allowed five minutes, so no loitering. I felt somewhat bad for the guard up there - having to climb up/down all those stairs everyday, probably multiple times too.
Serendipitously, there was a bread festival happening just across the Notre Dame. So of course, we had to check it out.
Nothing beats the smell of freshly baked bread.
Tiny wheat stalk bunches. Such a French thing to do.
Snack/Lunch: baguette and apple tart from the festival.
Oh man, a Bread Festival. I would probably die there because I wouldn't be able to stop eating. And if they had fresh butter..... and now my mouth is watering.
ReplyDeleteGothic architecture is just so beautiful! Even the gargoyles are stunning. And I'm glad the stain glass windows open, haha. It makes it so much more practical.
I'm sure the guard who works in the bell tower is nicely compensated by having a heart rate that's in the single digits.
Truly, nothing beats French bread. Although that lemon and olive sourdough loaf Sam and I at Elora came pretty close.
ReplyDeleteI still feel bad for the guard, because that's a long way down for a bathroom break. He must have either a really strong bladder, or a bucket hidden somewhere.