Tuesday, August 5, 2014

many steps

The plan for the day involved climbing the towers of Notre Dame, looking at the inside, the Crypts, Sainte-Chapelle and then possibly other things on or off the Ile de la Cité if we had time.

We got to Notre Dame pretty much when we intended - a bit before the towers opened.
This is half the line.
We decided to stand in line and reassess the plan after.

We were in line for close to three hours.

In 1686, the first Notre Dame bell (Emmanuel) was installed. In 1856, four other bells were added. However, they weren't in tune with Emmanuel or each other, so in 2013, they decided to install 9 new bells and retire these four, which are now on display along where the line to the towers runs.
We stood in the sun, we stood in the shade, we leaned or sat on the fence between us and the cathedral, we ate some crèpes, I took some photos.


I had two goals for this part of the trip: Climb the tower, and see the bell at the top. The last time I did this (in high school), I remembered many, many, many, many, many, many, many stairs. Lots and lots and lots of stairs. Stairs without end. I also remembered finding out after we got back down to the bottom that it is possible to go into the bell tower and see one of the actual bells of Notre Dame.

This time, I climbed a bunch of stairs (though not as many as I remembered from before)
We went through some narrow passageways...
Lots of gargoyles - looking at the Eiffel Tower!
I particularly like the elephant on the left and the stork on the right.

There were some spectacular views of the city.

As well as the Cathedral itself.
Highest point of the Cathedral!

We decided *not* to try to see the inside of the Cathedral (we'll do it another time)...


But this was as close as I got to the bells... they are not available for viewing right now :(

Dirty window on the door into the belltower.
By the time we made it back down to ground level, it was past lunchtime, so we took the sandwiches G had bought while we were standing in line, laughed a little at how much longer the line had gotten in the time we were enjoying the views, and sat down along the edge of the Seine across from the cathedral and watched the tour boats go by.


We then headed back to the Cathedral square and went down into the Archeological Crypts. They have some really well done interactive video exhibits showing the history of the Ile de la Cité, Paris, and specifically, of the Notre Dame Cathedral, as well as maps and parts of various buildings that no longer exist. It's not a very big museum, but quite interesting.


After deciding that the lineup for the Sainte-Chapelle was too long to bother with (it needs to be planned as the first stop in the morning... along with the interior of Notre Dame and the Towers of Notre Dame...), our next stop was the Conciergerie - an old prison.

Guards' hall.
Cell for someone who couldn't afford any better... (n.b. that window is a reflection from the hall behind me, not in the cell)
And a cell for someone who could. 
Some pretty massive keys and locks
With my hand for scale.
The female prisoners were allowed some time in this courtyard
But don't even think about trying to escape.
Robespierre came through here
And so did Marie Antoinette (this is a recreation of her cell, with pretty much no original pieces; the guards got to stand around behind a screen and play cards). 76 days before being tried and taken to the Place de la Concorde to be executed.

Pretty tired at this point, we headed back towards the direction of home.
Apparently, during the summer, you can play beach volleyball in front of City Hall.

We debated what to do for dinner, but ultimately decided to go back to Il Campionissimo for pizza - we knew where it as, we knew they were tasty. The proprietor recognized us from a few days before, and since they weren't yet busy, decided to make some recommendations.

First up: Estival Buratta. Roasted vegetables, salad greens, a real, fresh, buffalo mozarella with a cream sauce inside... heaven. This particular dish is apparently only available a couple weeks of the year.


She then suggested the Stromboli pizza (fennel as compote and brined, marinated sardines, orange zest confit) - we were both deeply skeptical, since neither of us is a fan of fennel or sardines... but the first course was fantastic, and we figured she knew what she was talking about...

Well, it's pretty...
NO REGRETS. Oh my goodness was that thing good. It was amazing. The blend of flavors was simply superb. We are so going back to this place next time we're in Paris...

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