Notre Dame

Our second stop on our busy day was the Notre Dame Cathedral. It was an amazing sight. Construction on this cathedral began in 1163 and it was not completed until 1345. We spent some time taking pictures in front, and then went into the cathedral.

 

Chase and I posing in front.


The carvings and statues around the doors are incredible in their detail and workmanship.

 

Gargoyles


The inside of the Cathedral was beautiful. So many colorful stained glass windows. These pictures do not do them justice! The colors were so much more brilliant and vivid. My camera was not the best, especially in low light.

I needed to change Chase so I was looking for a bathroom. I couldn't find one, so I had to improvise by finding a quiet corner with a bench (which happened to be in a nook where there was shrine to Joan of Arc) where I could lay down a blanket and change my baby. It was quickly accomplished and we continued our tour of the cathedral.

 

The famous rose window

 

Unfortunately, we were there when they were tuning the organ. The discordant notes drove me out of the building much sooner than I would have liked. It was just too much to take!


A side view of the cathedral.

Once we got out, we decided to go have some lunch before walking around to the back. Across the street on the side of the church there were some little cafes. We picked one and went inside. Chase and I shared a ham and cheese sandwich with French fries (he mostly chowed down on the fries) and a cup of hot chocolate (which I didn't share). It was delicious. The French version of a ham and cheese sandwich has the cheese melted on the top.


Yummy!

After we ate, we walked around to the back. Can you see the flying buttresses? Notre Dame was among the first buildings in the world to use the flying buttress. The building was not originally designed to include the flying buttresses around the choir and nave. After the construction began and the thinner walls grew higher, stress fractures began to occur as the walls pushed outward. In response, the cathedral's architects built supports around the outside walls, and later additions continued the pattern. The second picture gives a closer look at the supports.





Next we walked along the river side of the cathedral. There was a little playground there, so I let Chase play for a bit. Then we saw a guy feeding the birds (tuppence a bag).






Here is a Picture of the Seine River. The barges along the bank made me and Heather start singing "The Highlander" song. "I am immortal, I have inside me blood of kings. . ."


A good view of the river side of Notre Dame. Then it was off to the Eiffel Tower. Stay tuned.