The façade of Notre-Dame de Paris, Our Lady of Paris
July, 1990
I had the pictures ready to do the post for "I" this afternoon when I saw an alert on my phone about a fire at Notre-Dame. I turned on the television and have barely turned it off the rest of the day. I did spend an hour or so going through pictures of travels past. Despite having been to Paris nine times, not one of those times was in the cellphone era. I did take pictures, but usually no more than two or three rolls of film with my instamatic camera. I've got a good number of grainy, out of focus pictures and only three or four of Notre-Dame, one of my all-time favorite places anywhere. This is the best of the lot.
Like so many of my favorite things I took this beautiful church somewhat for granted. In my mind it was both monumental and eternal and it would always be there if I traveled to Paris again. But I learned the lesson once again of how life can be ephemeral, and some days all we have left are memories. Thankfully, a great deal of the structure of Notre-Dame remains and it will be rebuilt. I'm hoping that one day I can take my favorite walk in Paris. I will begin with a visit to the beautiful heart of the city, Notre-Dame de Paris, rebuilt once more. I'll slowly walk to my favorite island in the River Seine, the Ile Saint-Louis. I'll spend an hour or two exploring the streets and taking photographs of the seventeenth and eighteenth century buildings. I'll finish my perfect Paris afternoon at my favorite ice cream store anywhere, Berthillon, eating ice cream and watching the Seine flow by.
All hearts are with you, Notre-Dame de Paris.
7 comments
Such a sad tragedy.
Thankfully they will be rebuilding and I do hope that your wish comes true to see that beautiful building in person once more :)
~K.
How wonderful that you actually got to see it in all it's glory. What a terrible loss to all of us.
Some things are owned by the heart of humanity and some things own humanity's heart - Notre-Dame falls into both categories.
I hope you do get a chance to revisit France when the church is restored, Carol. Today, the work begins to bring it back to it’s former magnificence.
A lot of us seem to have done exactly what you did Buttercup. We were gripped to the television too, we were only in Paris last week. So sad but I hope you get your favourite Paris walk again, to see the New Notre Dame the one that has been promised by M Macron to be even more beautiful, and I love the idea of an ice cream stop!
Wren x
so sad.
So sad. I wish I could have visited there and seen it’s beauty. Have a blessed evening dear friend. Hugs
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