Notre Dame

9-Nov-2010 (Tuesday), we packed our bags, checked out and walked to St Pancras Station to catch our Eurostar to Paris. I didn't know what to expect. Paris being the so called city of love, I was headed there, and I speak minimum French! Would I like it there? Would I finally understand why some people love Paris so much? Or would I understand why some people say French people are such snobs?

2 hours later, we arrived at Gare du Nord train station. As the train pulls in, graffiti could be seen almost everywhere. It was partly raining, and the sky was gloomy. As we made our way out of the train station and into the subway, the smell of urine was strong along the subway station. Gum stain was all over the dirty floor. I begin to have doubt about the place I was going to be spending a week in.

Checked into our apartment 1 hour later (more about places to stay in later blog), and we were off to explore the city! It was almost 2pm already so we headed towards Notre Dame, me hoping to catch a glimpse of  it before sunset at 5pm.

This is what Notre Dame looked like on a good day. But when we were there the first time, it was all gloomy. And for such a majestic church, it was smaller than what I was expecting. But the exterior art did not disappoint me one bit. The detail of the walls, the art, the statues, were beautiful. We stood outside for almost an hour before I realize that we could actually enter the church for free!

More beauty awaits us inside. It was dark inside except for dim lights. And the sound of pipe organs and choir practice echos through the long hall way of saints after saints. Jesus on the cross was almost everywhere. And confession boxes of a few foreign languages were available, with people sitting outside waiting their turn.

I was in love with the rose shaped stained glass there. I was in love with any kind of stained glass period. I could have sat there the whole day. It was so gorgeous and peaceful there.

The reason I love Notre Dame so much, was simply because of one beautiful story written by Victor Hugo called The Hunchback of Notre Dame. This was the place Quasimodo grew up in as the bell-ringer. The place where Esmeralda the gypsy girl found sanctuary. It was a tragic love story for Quasimodo, but it was a beautiful love story of warm and compassion all the same.

As I think back, I awed at the details that has gone into the Disney version of the same show. Here I'm sharing two clips of the show featuring Notre Dame.




Notre Dame was as beautiful if not more than I imagine it to be. Little did I know that I would be visiting it again on my last day in Paris as well. The alpha and the omega of my trip :)

Ref: 
Eurostar
Notre Dame
The Hunchback of Notre Dame