Sanctuary! Sanctuary!

Guess what was next on our visit to Paris?  Yep, the old stomping grounds of everybody's favorite hunchback: Notre-Dame.

Our visit to Notre-Dame began at the crypt under the church.  It wasn't a crypt like I had expected, but was rather the ancient roman buildings that were originally on this spot on the Ile de la Cite - the very heart of and oldest part of Paris.  There are streets and homes down there.  I am amazed that they can just build new buildings right on top of old ones.  That said,  I didn't find them very interesting.

But I found the 700 year old church itself very interesting.  It is so old and so massive and so intricate!

Notre-Dame means "Our Lady," and is dedicated to Mary.  She is the centerpiece of the entire facade, holding the Christ child.  The rose window (incredible from the inside) serves as her halo.

Some of the ramparts and passageways where Quasimodo was seen hobbling and swinging high above the city in Victor Hugo's terrific book.

 I just love the inside too.  This nave is so colorful, not only the windows, but the arches and gold stars on the ceiling.

The chandelier looks like a crown.

The soaring Gothic arches are fantastic!

One of the rose windows.  It looks like a kaleidoscope.

Cool!

From this side view, Notre-Dame looks very different, with it's tall, spiky steeples and doily windows.

The back side of Notre-Dame with her famed flying buttresses (I love that phrase!) - the key to Our Lady's soaring arched ceilings.

The green statues on the roof are the Apostles, all except for the guy at the top.  He is the architect of the steeple, and he is turned around admiring his own handiwork.  Well done!

How can a house of God look so sinister?

This gargoyle serves double duty as a rain spout.

So many details!

 Notre-Dame is on an island in the beautiful Seine River.


Some of the surrounding neighborhood.

Dennis and I got into the long line to go up to visit the gargoyles on top of Notre-Dame.  While we were waiting, as street performer kept us well entertained.  He was wearing a character mask of Albert Einstein with a huge nose and crazy white hair.  He would walk next to busy people who were not paying attention and try to hold their hand or put their arms around them until they realized it wasn't their spouse, etc.  When they saw him they would scream, and then when they realized it was all in fun, and that they had an audience, they would laugh... usually.  It was a total candid camera type thing, and he really caught folks off guard.  It was HILARIOUS!  He was very good.

Up inside one of the towers.

  

They had an interesting way of making you buy stuff at their gift shop.  We had been standing in line to climb the towers forever, and then when they let us up, they first brought us up some stairs into this the gift shop, and left us in there for at least 20 or so minutes before taking you up the rest of the way.  I guess they figure with nothing to do but wait, they might as well sell you stuff.  I didn't fall for it.  But I did take some pictures of the old place.

And then up more spiral steps to the gargoyles!  I was SO excited about seeing the gargoyles and taking some pictures of them and Paris below!   I was not disappointed.

It was raining that morning, and the skies were still brooding with dark clouds which made for some great spooky shots - a perfect background for these gargoyles!

This is the famous gargoyle with the sunglasses and baseball cap scaring off evil spirits. 

 He's cute.

This guy looks a bit bored, sticking his tongue out at all of Paris.  He really should mind his manners.

The hill with the white church in the background is Montmarte and the Sacre Coeur church.

Moi, (obviously not a gargoyle) looking very Parisian in my new chapeau that my Daddy bought for me in the shops near Notre-Dame.  Perfect for a bad hair day!

I had to stick my camera through the wire safety cage to get the shots of the gargoyles, but it was well worth the risk for those great shots.

From inside the bell tower a view of one of the spires.

I was having trouble with my exposure inside the dark bell tower, but I like how this mistake looks - like the bells are wildly ringing, so I decided to post it anyway.

The bells of Notre-Dame were simple incredible!!!   I absolutely loved the sound.  The did not play a tune like some church bells do, but just rang out in wild abandon, so many bells, high and low pitched.  It reminded me of the Christmas carol "Ring Out Wild Bells" because thats how they sounded - wild and purely joyful!  It gave me such a thrill up my spine every time that they started ringing together in jubilation!  Then the bells would stop, and a few would just keep chiming for a while until they all eventually died down and it was over.  Mom absolutely loved the bells!  She could do nothing but stop and listen whenever they started clanging.  It just made her spirit soar!

Dennis is demonstrating how Quasimodo used to ring the bells by striking them with his head like this.  Huh? And I always thought he did it by pulling on the ropes.  I like Dennis' way better.

The flying buttresses from above.

This guy was my favorite!  He is really enjoying that snack of his.  It reminded me of how Nathan tears into a roasted chicken from Costco.

Look at all those cute little monkey-like gargoyles!  

It was raining now.

These grotesque beasts are supposed to be souls caught between heaven and earth and their function is to scare away evil spirits.  But they couldn't keep me away.  Yep, thats the Eiffel Tower down there.

The top side of a down spout.

Then, just for the heck of it, Dennis and I climbed another million steps (OK, it was only 400) in the narrowest possible spiral stone staircase to get to the top of the tower. (Don't try it if you are at all claustrophobic.)

But the view from up there was simply breathtaking!  (or maybe it was the high wind and the pelting cold rain that was taking my breath away.)

The view from here was fantastic!  What an incredibly beautiful city Paris is!

I couldn't head back down the stairs without taking the dare of my facebook friends and shouting "Sanctuary!  Sanctuary!" at the top of my lungs from the top of the bell tower, just like Quasimodo did when he threw Esmeralda over his slouched shoulders and carried her into the protection of the church and up all these horrid steps to these heights.  Nobody seemed to notice my cries.  But I had to do it!  At least I didn't throw Dennis over my shoulder, or some unsuspecting tourist, right?  (What can I say?  Book lovers are wild and crazy like that!)

Back down from the high tower for a bit more time with my "goylefriends." (Is that a great shot, or what?)

We spent a little time exploring the streets and shops around Notre-Dame.

I thought this little restaurant was so charming!

I saw this cute hat in a shop nearby.  I tried it on to see how it would fix my rain & wind hair.  Dennis and Dad both said it looked cute on me, then Dad offered to get it for me, and Dennis said Dad didn't need to, that he could get it for me.  Meanwhile they discussed who should/shouldn't buy me the hat while we continued walking down the street.  Hello?  I stopped dead in my tracks.  "Um, my hat?"  Dad stepped up to the plate and went back and bought if for me.  Yay!  Thanks Daddy!  

Parisian lamp posts are luminous!

When the sun went down, the lights came on on the cathedral.  When they first lit up, the lights were green, which I thought was really pretty.

But within minutes the green was gone.

Dennis and my parents sat under the church while I set up my tripod for a few pictures of the illuminated church.  I think they were glad I took so many pictures on this trip because.  We were running around so much, and the only break they ever got was when I stopped to take pictures.

I love this one with the lampposts.

The just-turning green and red leaves were so colorful against the deep blue skies.

We actually saw Notre Dame several times while we were in Paris.  The bells always thrilled us to hear them.  A sanctuary right in the heart of Paris.