The Hunchback(s) of Notre Dame

Day 3 of the journey unfolds. Still adjusting a bit to the difference in time, we took a nice leisurely breakfast to fill up on food and Christmas wishes. Holly rather enjoyed the cappuccino machine, wasting little time in getting herself on a breakfast routine that included the addition (naturally) of 2 sugars to her new favorite drink. We had a good time laughing and realizing that we are actually HERE, ready to see lots of exciting sights.

We quickly figured out that the best mode of transportation to get around the city was going to be the Metro - a very comprehensive system of underground and rail trains that can get you just about anywhere that you want to go. It was not too difficult to figure out thanks to the way that the signs were posted in every station; they detailed the stops in each direction so if you didn't see the stop you wanted, that wasn't your train!

We went to visit Notre Dame, the almost 700 year old cathedral of "Our Lady" and known as France's most famous church. The history of the spot that Notre Dame rests on goes all the way back to 52 B.C., when the Romans built their Temple of Jupiter after conquering the Parisii. Construction of what we see today as Notre Dame began in 1163, taking almost 200 years to complete in 1345. This cathedral is rich in history, culture, architecture, art and tradition...the small amount of reading that I did prior to the trip does little to encompass how much there is to learn and appreciate about this cathedral. One interesting note that I will highlight is that Notre Dame is considered the absolute center of France - the point of which all distances are measured and has served as the center of the city of Paris all the way back to the beginning of the first days of the Parisii tribe.

We were pleasantly surprised to discover that visitors were allowed into the cathedral, not only on Christmas but also during the multiple Christmas services that were being conducted. The only constraint that we had to honor was to take photos without the flash - easily done! In fact, I would often argue that the natural lighting in these buildings is more beautiful than forcing it with a flash. We took our fair share of pictures, including a few 'artistic' shots and have posted them here for you as "Paris - Day 3".

Walking through the cathedral was equally impressive inside and out; even behind was cool with a little park and tons of great views and angles to consider. Once outside, the cold air and Seine (pronounced sehn) river made for a stunning walk through the streets. The tower was unfortunately closed, so we did not get to go to the top of the cathedral; our trip to Notre Dame however exceeding expectations in every way.

Many of the street side cafes and brasseries were closed due to Christmas, but we did manage to stop a few times as we explored the historic streets of the city and Latin Quarter. Once for falafels (yum!) and later for some chocolat chaud and vin chaud (hot chocolate for Holly and I and hot wine for David - he rather seems to enjoy the vacationing lifestyle) at a nice and warm little cafe. We returned to the hotel for the sleepy heads to take a nap while I went downstairs to explore the hotel and call WAMU - just because I still believed that they were going to right the wrongs.

Our dinner reservations were set for an excellent French restaurant called Brasserie de Lorraine that had excellent seafood, service and ambiance. It was an easy walk to and from the hotel, making it a nice ending to a very fun and very special Christmas. Meals run long here in France - much to the delight of David - so we got back to the hotel somewhere around 11 pm. Just in time to plan out what we are doing for the remaining 6 days that we have to tour and experience our surroundings.