Our double-decker bus tour of beautiful Paris offered the option
of getting on and off the bus whenever we chose to spend more time at any
location. This tour included a drive by
Notre Dame Cathedral so we took this opportunity to stop and see more and have
some lunch nearby. We didn’t go inside
as we hadn’t timed it right for that but the sight that we saw offered plenty
to enjoy.
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| Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris, France |
There were hundreds of visitors in the square, many of them
enjoying their lunch and most were likely waiting for the next service to
begin. There are over 13 million
visitors a year for 5 daily services and 7 on Sunday. That would make over 2,000 celebrations a
year and we weren’t there at the right time for any!
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| Portal of the Last Judgement on Notre Dame Cathedral |
There is such detail that is not obvious when
you first look at these incredible structures steeped in history but on a
closer look you will find an endless supply of art that tells stories. Many of the sculptures on Notre Dame
Cathedral tell stories from the bible but there is French history included as
well.
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| Statues on the face of Notre Dame Cathedral |
The carved rose, almost 10 meters in diameter on the upper
level in the center features the virgin with child with an angel on either side
of her. Statues of Adam and Eve are on
either side of the rose were added in the nineteenth century. Across the width of the Cathedral is the
Gallery of Kings. These statues
represent 28 generations of the kings of Judah.
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| Carvings of the Portal of the last Judgement |
The portal on the lower level on the left is known as the Portal
of the Virgin, on the right is Portal of St. Anne and in the center is the
largest called Portal of the Last Judgement.
This one tells many stories but the one shows the souls of
the dead being weighed to determine whether they go to heaven or hell. The carvings surrounding in the arch are
those watching from heaven above. These
portals were carved in the 1220’s to 1230’s.
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| Notre Dame Cathedral from River Seine |
This view of the Cathedral was taken during our cruise on
the River Seine. The first spire was built in 1250 and was the bell tower then
this spire was built during a later restoration and stands 93 meters in height.
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| Apostles climb the spire of Notre Dame Cathedral |
The most interesting feature of this view, I found
was the copper statues; some of the 12 apostles can be seen climbing the spire.
If we could see all four corners of the spire at once, which could only be done
from above (: then we would see 3 apostles climbing up each corner. The
challenge of that construction alone is amazing.
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| Notre Dame Cathedral on Ile de la Cite |
The Notre Dame Cathedral sits on Ile de la Cite which was
the center of medieval
Paris
and the contemporary capital. It is
formed by two meanders of the River Seine which offers great opportunities to
see the Cathedral while cruising the
Seine.
We've seen so many wonderful sights in Paris and it is impossible to name a favorite. Other 'can't miss' places to see in Paris include
Sacre Coeur Basilica,
Montmartre,
Arc de Triomphe and of course the
Eiffel Tower and so
much more. Click on these locations and you will see more of this beautiful city of Paris.
