In Honor and Remembrance of Notre-Dame de Paris, the City of Paris, and all of France

In February of 2015, I visited Notre-Dame de Paris. I didn't know then that it might be my last in this lifetime. One never knows when one has seen a sight or held a loved one close for the very last time. I am now 66 years old - I don't know if they can restore this precious icon and open it again to the public within my remaining years. I have heard estimates for reconstruction of years to decades.

I pay tribute and honor to the citizens of Paris and France for the recent tragedy that has befallen the grand Notre-Dame. I mourn with you.

The following images and text were made on my visit in 2015 and I reproduce them here in remembrance:



I am not a formally religious man but, wandering around in Notre-Dame was truly a powerful emotional experience. The grandeur and history of this almost thousand year-old church was awe-inspiring. As it was a Sunday, regular Mass was ongoing for the hundreds who attended; all the while tourists were circulating at the periphery, almost all with their smart phone cameras, tablets, point-and-shoots, or DSLRs - it seemed that everyone had a photographic device of some kind to record this special place and moment in their life.







The side aisles were less crowded with worshippers than the central nave. The nave is to the right on the other side of the marble columns in this image.



Not everyone could focus on the Priest's words - this sweet child chose quiet dancing and twirling instead.



The line to get in was about 100 meters/yards long but it shuffled along quickly and once inside, it did not feel very crowded. There is no admission fee.







Marble statue of Joan of Arc.



Soaring ceilings and details had many visitors walking around with their necks craned upward - including me.







The light streaming in the stained glass windows was ethereal.




This wood replica helps to appreciate the scale and complexity of the entire structure. The actual building construction began in 1163 and continued for almost 200 years.

Je suis Paris

I offer my heartfelt recognition, sympathy, and solidarity to all those touched by the acts of inhuman, brutal terrorism in Paris yesterday. My sadness will be offset by the uncommon strength and beauty of Paris and its citizenry. 

On a happier day last winter, locals enjoy life near Notre Dame Cathedral.

Sunset at Jardin des Tuileries. 

Night on the River Seine.

La Tour Eiffel.

Vive la France! Je suis Paris.

Closing Thoughts and Comments, Île-de-France, France

It is time to leave the Paris area and head south so a few comments are in order, along with a few choice images. Paris has been everything I've imagined it to be and more. A world-class city that oozes much of the history of our collective Western civilization. Sure, it has any of the problems all big cities in the world face but, they seem to face it with such aplomb.

It has seemed so dramatic to me to sit at lunch sipping local French wine and hearing the babble of conversation all around me spoken in French - it feels like I am in a foreign movie and I keep waiting for the director to yell "CUT."

It is an amazing testimony to human ability that we can make sense of and establish rules for sounds - speech sounds that make sense to each other - and do so in a polyglot of different languages.  Even more amazing that some humans can master more than one language.

Some have asked me, "don't you get tired of doing all this running around at your age?"  Well, yes sometimes but, I'm 62 years old, life is short. I'm going to keep going until I can't anymore - I'm not ready for a recliner chair, a TV remote, and the 4pm dinner special just yet. 

Although, I do like dinner early.........and a good nap in a recliner is sure nice.....and I am fond of the remote control.............

I have found the French people to be wonderful in every way - friendly, helpful, courteous, passionate and alive. In response to a question about whether we could do something, a Frenchman said to us the other day in heavily accented but clear English, "everysing iz posseebul."  A great response and a great attitude!

A city of uncommon beauty, grace, and history at any time of day or night.

But, it's time to hit the road again........next stop, Lyon, and then the Provence region of southeastern France.

Vive la France!

Hôtel de Ville and Le Marais, 4th Arrondissement, Paris, Île-de-France, France

The Hôtel de Ville in Paris, France, is the building housing the city's local administration. It has been the location of the offices of the municipality of Paris since 1357. Hôtel De Ville is a generic term that basically means City Hall and there are Hôtel de Villes all over France. The sign translates as: "Charlie Hebdo, honorary citizen of the city of Paris." Charlie Hebdo is a French satirical weekly magazine that was the target of a terrorist attack in Paris in January 2015 that killed 12 people.

The bubble man having fun on the plaza in front of the building.

I think Paris must have one of the highest per capita rates of carousels anywhere.

It's nicely lighted at night, too.

A short walk from the Hôtel de Ville, Le Marais district is an historic area on the Right Bank of the Seine River in the heart of Paris. Lots of galleries, restaurants, fashions, clubs, and cabarets as well as a popular residential area.

Even more ubiquitous than creperies, produce stands seem to be in every neighborhood.

 A covered walkway along the Place des Vosges.

Old and new.

Random street scene.

A courtyard in the Marais. 

Time for lunch again.

We found  a great vegan lunch - potatoes, tomatoes, zucchini, green beans and a green salad. Tres bon!

This poster inside the cafe advertises the 1889 World Exhibition for which the Eiffel Tower was built.

Later, as the blue hour deepened, we moseyed over to the Seine River for our last nighttime look at Paris......

......and we were richly rewarded with a beautiful night view (the light at left is the rotating beacon atop the Eiffel Tower, which is out of view behind the buildings due to line of sight perspective).

Basilique du Sacré-Cœur (Basilica of the Sacred Heart of Paris), Montmartre, 18th Arrondissement, Paris, Île-de-France, France

The Basilique du Sacré-Cœur (English: Basilica of the Sacred Heart of Paris), stands tall on the highest hilltop in Paris, Butte Montmartre.  Although it is a recent addition to Paris' glowing history (completed in 1914), it is a popular location for tourists and locals for it's panoramic views of the city especially on this Sunday afternoon.  The area of  Montmartre is known for is history of artists, musicians, clubs, cafes, and the vibrant and hip folk who inhabit and visit the area.

On this unseasonably warm winter day, reaching almost 70 F/ 20 C, the hillside was covered with folks enjoying life, talking, laughing, kissing, hugging, holding babies, playing or listening to acoustic music, the warm sunshine flooding the south facing hillside.

Nearby, this French woman accordionist/vocalist serenaded passersby, although, it felt so 1960's/70's that I expected to see Bob Dylan or Joni Mitchell stroll by (or even the ghost of Jim Morrison).



We sat at the outdoor cafe right at the base of the steps and watched the world go by while nursing a late lunch. Here's a table of fellow lunchers mugging for a camera.

Some opted for an ice cream lunch.



And always, always, always - someone making Nutella crepes is never too far away.



The dome of the basilica peeks out in random spots throughout the neighborhood.



One of the sets of front doors.



One of many gargoyles on the church.

A block away where they sell the tourist stuff, I met this really cute French woman and was so taken by her, I brought her home with me!  How very French.

The nearby Chocolate Museum had a great chocolate Notre-Dame replica ..........



.....and a chocolate Eiffel Tower also.



And walking back towards home from Sacré-Cœur on a random street, on a random wall - this simple reminder........the iconic saying, "je suis charlie," (I am Charlie.) It was created by a French artist shorty after the recent terrorist attack in Paris and went viral worldwide. It is reminiscent of the French reporter who, after the terrorist attack in the United States on September 11, 2001, in heartfelt sympathy said, "Ce soir, nous sommes tous Américains" (Tonight, we are all Americans).

(Note: I don't actually pick-up strange women in foreign cities; the "French woman" a few pictures above is not actually French but - she did live in France years ago, she is cute, and she is already my wife of 25+ years).