Back in 1949 or 1951, Mom visited this place, too. The great Gothic Cathedrale Notre-Dame de Paris, built from 1163 to 1334 on the site of an ancient Roman temple, hasn't changed much since she was there. We didn't climb to the top, like she did, but we did gape up at those truly creepy gargoyles.
You could study just the front of the place all day, and still not see it all. You'd get a sore neck, too.
The south rose window, from the outside. Flying buttresses, too.
The cathedral is the Gothic heart of Ile de la Cite, and fits beautifully in with the other architecture, much of it from much later, but still long ago, in our book.
One of the rose windows from the inside. The inside is amazing, but very cold and dark. Noah and I found we preferred other, smaller, lighter churches that we stumbled over later. Still -- wow.
One of the ancient, regal residential buildings on the Ile de la Cite.
We stumbled across the ancient habitation of doomed lovers Heloise and Abelard while walking near Notre-Dame. If I remember correctly, it was on the Quai aux Fleurs.Here's how the Eyewitness Travel Paris book nutshells their story: "It was in the cloisters of Notre-Dame that the romance between the monk Pierre Abelard and the young Heloise began. Abelard was the most original theologian of the 12th century and was hired as a tutor to the 17-year-old niece of a canon. A love affair soon developed between the teacher and his pupil. In his wrath, Heloise's uncle had the scholar castrated. Heloise took refuse in a convent for the rest of her life." I believe they were married and had a child before the bad stuff happened, and wrote letters to each other for their whole lives.
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