No. 7 Amazing Restoration of Notre Dame

 I was told by several people that if I wanted to get into Notre Dame Cathedral I should go  early on a weekday morning. So I got there about 9 AM and it only took about 10 minutes to make my way through  the long winding barricades and enter one of the most famous cathedrals in the world. Given the pictures of the fire and destruction inside, I was struck by  how things had been completely restored and how bright and clean everything is. This is due to a combination of new lighting and the fact that many walls and windows hadn’t been cleaned in decades. A tour guide mentioned that toothbrushes were frequently  used to meticulously clean many of the surfaces. Perhaps most striking were the   two huge  stained glass rose windows which are on the east and west sides of the cathedral. They  are over  40 feet in diameter and date back to the 1720s. Miraculously, other than  the smoke, they suffered very little damage and the colors were just spectacular. 

It was very crowded and people moved very slowly as they were taking pictures of everything.  If you have ever traveled with me,  you know that I am not particularly good in these situations, but given it was Notre Dame, I just went with the flow. There were also many places where I could light a  few candles, which is what I always do when visiting a church. Unlike most US churches where you put money in a slot and push a button to light an electric candle, these were real candles you lit with aa long wooden match. It also  seemed like everyone like myself wanted  to buy something at the gift shop, but aside of the long line, it was well organized. On previous trips I would visit the cathedral several times while I was there, including occasionally attending mass, but I think this one visit will do it, but I am very glad I went. 

Interesting fact: during the occupation of Paris, the Germans would store large amounts of ammunition inside Notre Dame as they knew the allies would never bomb the structure.