So Saturday morning K. and decided to continue our tourist-y streak and went to visit the zoo that is Notre Dame Cathedral. It was beautiful, especially the intricate carvings on the outside, but honestly, the tremendous lines, crowding, crowds, and flashes from cameras made my time there a little uninspiring. You know how I get: all riled up about something on principal and K. has to listen to me hold forth on my topic of choice while he tries to hush me since we're in a place of God?! It wasn't that bad, but it was close. There's really not much to say about Notre Dame other than it's a mammoth, beautiful church, with a really great sculpture of Saint Denis (he's the one the angels are staring at saying 'dude, where's your head?'). I am in a MOOD tonight, folks!
After we toured Notre Dame, we visited the Crypt Archeologique de Parvis de Notre Dame / The Archaeological Crypt of Notre Dame Square. It's only about 100 feet from the church, so it was easy to find once we knew we were looking for something that resembled a subway entrance (it is a crypt, after all). It's an unassuming little museum that ended up being the highlight of our day! It takes you underneath Notre Dame to the archaeological excavations that have uncovered ruins from the Roman period right on up to the 19th century. Most of the museum is constructed around the excavations themselves, so you really get a feel for how different parts of history are literally on top of each other. I really enjoyed this museum: it wasn't expensive, it was small enough to be manageable in a short time, and it was well-developed and thought-out.
Next up, K. and I search for the perfect ice-cream cone in Paris!
2 comments:
Hmm... if that's how you felt about visiting Notre Dame, I'm not sure you're going to like Westminster Abbey much more (although the Cloisters are relatively less trafficked). That they force everyone to move rather quickly around the tomb of Elizabeth I is rather annoying and that you can no longer actually visit St. Edward's shrine is a travesty (but sorta understandable).
What could be more appropriate than waxing Proustian about Paris? Paris deserves it, anyway. Paris rocks.
all riled up about something on principal and K. has to listen to me hold forth on my topic of choice while he tries to hush me since we're in a place of God?!
I have so done that. Many times.
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