Tuesday on Thursday

Oops… Because of jet lag, general fatigue, and my continued abuse of wine, I am now two days behind in updates. The past few days have been amazing (surprise surprise). On Tuesday, Theresa and I went to Notre Dame. It’s technically on an island so we were around water for most of the day. First we toured the inside of the church. It’s so beautiful that it just affects you to the core. The intricacy of the church and every single thing inside is astounding. The Crown of Thorns was displayed in the museum. They think it is the crown that Jesus wore. I’m not sure whether or not to believe that it is just because it’s odd that it would have survived so long, but who am I to say. There were also countless reliques in the museum that housed the remaining pieces of saints from very long ago. I had a very strange feeling as I stood in front of dozens of objects considered to be the holiest things imaginable by the Catholic Church. The way everything is on display didn’t seem right. I understand that the country owns the church versus the Catholic church, but it just touched me the wrong way. Still, this thought did not totally detract from my awe. We moved on to the bell tower afterwards. There are 400 stairs to the top, but after the Eiffel Tower, it was nothing. The tiny stone stairs spiral up and up. Finally, we saw sunlight and knew a door was coming. We got to the top and walked along the perimeter of the tower. The view here was more impressive than the Eiffel Tower if that’s possible. Theresa and I just stood there, at the top of Notre Dame, with gargoyles in our line of vision and the most incredible view of a city that seems as big as the world. I was concerned that seeing these indescribable places during the past week would have somehow desensitized me to the richness in the smallest of places and things, but being here has only made me more tuned in to them. After the tower, Theresa and I stopped in to a café and had a crepe. It was the most amazing thing ever (except for Notre Dame of course). After that, we walked along the Seine and came to the Conciergerie. Apparently, the Conciergerie was both a palace and prison. We went into the room where Marie Antoinette was held before she was killed. At some point in history, the same walls we were standing in held hundreds of people right before their fate was decided. There were two portraits that depicted the “waiting room”. People were just packed in this room, crying, fainting, putting their heads down, and some being completely stoic. No one was spared, men, women, and children were killed on charges that ranged from ridiculous to malicious. The portrait alone gave me chills, let alone seeing the cells. After that experience, we began walking along the Siene again in order to get back on the metro. We took a shortcut through a short alley with flower/plant shops on both sides. The smell was incredible, like every good thing put together with lilacs on top. Our bakery and wine stop on the way back to the apartment is turning into a tradition already. On a related note, everyone here carries baguettes around at all times. It’s ridiculously cute.