We Louve Notre Dame

11/2/11

Today was our big sightseeing day in Paris. We slept in a little since we were still jet-lagged but then we took the metro and headed downtown to the Latin Quarter. First stop, breakfast. Since we slept in, it was almost lunch so we decided to get a few sandwiches. Justin got a prosciutto and mozzarella panini and I had a tomato, spinach, mozzarella, and Brie sandwich. They were delicious and completely filling. Just what we needed. After two coffees (this time American) and a macaroon, we headed towards Notre Dame.

Notre Dame was spectacular! We were in awe just looking at it from the outside. The door to the left was of St. Denis. He was beheaded so naturally he was depicted holding his own head. The middle door was the last judgement. Satan was shown cheating my pressing down on the scale to win the souls of lost men. Every square centimeter of church was carved with the most beautiful statues. The flying buttresses and gargoyles were gorgeous and practical, we learned.  The courtyard of the cathedral were lush gardens that were very symmetrical and, of course, the Seine River runs right next to it. The wind was blowing all the yellow leaves from the trees. It was magical.

We went inside Notre Dame and mass was being held. They let the tourists roam the church during the service. A pieta was in the back of the alter with a large golden cross. The stain glass windows were jaw-dropping. They illuminate the cathedral with dimly colored hues. We got a few pictures of the rose windows and a model of the cathedral being built. It took over 200 years to construct, which began in the 1160s, I think. I could go on and on about Notre Dame but the pictures will speak for themselves.

Next, we walked behind the cathedral and across the street to the French holocaust monument.  It was a very solemn monument. You walked down these stone steps. The city disappeared as you were right at the water's edge of the Seine. We stepped inside the narrow entryway of the monument and it felt like the walls were closing in on us. There, down a darkened corridor, was an eternal flame surrounded by  200,000 sparkling crystals, one for every French person that died in the Holocaust. 

Back outside , we had that much more appreciation for the beauty and life of the city. We walked across a bridge that was covered in locks...all shapes and sizes. Each lock seemed to have a "jack loves sophie" type message written on it. Justin is going to look up what it is all about and we may put our own lock on it when we go back through next week. 

Down the road a little ways was the Shakespeare and Co. bookstore. I loved this store. The layout was charming. Tons of new and used books stuffed in every corner of the two story shop. Nestled among the books we comfy chairs, a piano, letters, and historical memorabilia. I bought a few gifts and we were on our way. ..

...to the Louve! Now let me just say that the Louve is so much larger than anyone could ever imagine. Justin and I were there 3 hours and only saw ONE wing!! We took a wrong turn trying to get to Venus de Millo and somehow became lost in the Egypt exhibit. We were literally in BFE surrounded by mummies. To make matters worse, we were about to run late for our Eiffel tower tour. We made a mad dash out and promised to return one day. We did however see several of the greats including the Mona Lisa. Much smaller than expected, she was heavily concealed from the crowds and difficult to see. We circled around at the end to see her again. On the way out, we grabbed a blueberry and an apple tart. Quite possibly the best dessert I've ever eaten.

Then we were back to the hotel to change and head to my favorite tower in the world!