Monday
One week from tomorrow, we begin our long-awaited “ad-french-ture” to the land of Seurat, Moliere and Claudine Longet. But my enthusiasm has been somewhat dampened by the recent fire at Notre-Dame Cathedral.
I can’t imagine that any sightseer visiting Paris, be it their first or their fiftieth time, would not have Notre-Dame on their short list — even if to just catch a passing glimpse of its iconic West facade with its massive stone towers and parade of carved religious iconography. And there’s Victor Hugo, Charles Laughton and/or Walt Disney to thank for the inevitable image of a rope-swinging, hunchbacked outcast that springs to mind whenever one would hear the pealing of the cathedral bells.
Notre-Dame was on our list of Parisian must-see’s. Now, that pilgrimage will be from a respectful distance rather than one filled with awe and wonder while exploring the soaring interior illuminated by sunlit stained glass.
Fortunately, on the 31st of August, 1982, I made that pilgrimage while on my first business trip to Paris. Pocket camera in hand, I was able to immortalize my visit both from ground level within and without as well as from one of the towers. The images are a little out of focus and the colors have been muted by the passage of time–it was the pre-Digital Age–but this softened view lends a warmth to the photographs.
So, on this very sad day for all medievalists world-wide, here is my Notre-Dame as she revealed herself to me so many years ago.
France: Normandy to Paris 