A Once-in-a-Lifetime Experience in Paris!

Sacre Coeur

Usually when you're traveling, you make a plan and try to stick to it so you can see everything in a certain place you want to see.  However, I've learned that flexibility is the key to having a successful trip because sometimes opportunities come up that you couldn't have accounted for.  That's what today was, but it happened in the evening...so first my normal touristy day!

Small Parisian art show

I started in Sacre Coeur, or Sacred Heart.  The basilica was completed in 1914 atop the highest point in Paris.  The views from the front steps of the church overlook all the major Paris sights.  On the way up, some creepy conmen tried to tie things on my finger so they could beg me for money.  I really dislike that part of Paris because sometimes they try to follow you and whatnot.  It's quite disconcerting.

Notre Dame

When I walked into Sacre Coeur, there are signs everywhere talking about the Blessed Sacrament, Christ's love for each individual, and asking for quiet, decent clothes, and no pictures.  It might be the best "tourist" church I've ever been into because it demonstrates Catholic teachings in a very nonconfrontational way, while remaining an obvious part of the church's atmosphere.  One of my problems in "tourist" churches is with everyone talking and taking pictures, people don't realize that for me and my fellow Catholics, the place is HOLY.  It's a place of prayer, worship and transformation.  I noticed the Blessed Sacrament enthroned on the altar so I started to read the short tour guide I was given at the entrance...since 1885, there has been uninterrupted perpetual adoration, which was really cool.

After Sacre Coeur, I walked through the streets of the church's neighborhood, Montmarte.  It's an adorable neighborhood full of small shops and cafes.  I stumbled into a really cute square with all sorts of artists selling their paintings of Paris.  It was soooo stereotypically Parisian I couldn't help snapping a few pictures.  Also in Montmarte is Moulin Rouge.  While a typical show costs around 150 euro, seeing the outside doesn't cost anything, nor does taking a few pictures!

Inside the bell towers...gargoyles!

Strangely enough, my friend from Central was in Paris at the same time as me with her boyfriend on their 24 day trip across Europe.  So we decided to meet up for lunch at a small cafe outside of Notre Dame.  I had a delicious sandwich with ham and melted cheese and creme brulee for dessert.  After lunch, we walked over to the church and took some pictures outside.  Unfortunately, the interior was closed all day so I wasn't able to go inside (this is IMPORTANT!).  So we bid each other adieu and I headed to the line for the towers of Notre Dame.

My favorite gargoyle...reminds me of
my brother and sister!

Normally, I would've called the free view from Sacre Coeur good and not needed to pay five euro to go in the bell towers of Notre Dame...but I wanted to see if they were really like the passages in the Hunchback of Notre Dame.  Don't remember what they looked like in the movie, so I'll get back to you on that after I rewatch it.  It was really cool to be up close and personal with the gargoyles too.  Unfortunately, because of the weather, the top bell towers were closed so I couldn't see where Quasimodo fictionally rang the bells.

Upon arriving on the ground floor, I noticed the church doors were open so I let myself get caught up in the crowd and get swept inside the cathedral.  The place was PACKED and it was nearly impossible to move anywhere.  The middle of the church was roped off with large bells inside and there were tons of small groups of children around them.  I was getting claustrophobic so I worked my way to the back of the church and asked a volunteer what was going on.

Celebrants of the Mass

For the 850th anniversary of Notre Dame, the diocese decided to replace the bells.  Today was a special Mass and blessing ceremony of all the new bells.  Well, if that was the case, I had to stay.  It's not every day that the oldest cathedral in Notre Dame rings its new bells for the first time in the presence of the Archbishop/Cardinal and three other bishops.  More like, once in a lifetime!  It didn't really matter that I couldn't understand the Mass (it seldom does), I could feel the excitement of the Parisians as they cheered when all the bells had been rung for the first time.

The Bells of Notre Dame!

Notre Dame at night

In my opinion, this was even better than being in the belfry seeing the bells because everyone usually gets to do that.  This ranks up there with my private tour of the Sistine Chapel in terms of things I will remember for my entire life and will be high up on my "favorite travel stories to tell" list.  There's really nothing else I would've wanted to do in Paris last night, other than maybe sit down.  The Mass lasted for 2 hours and I had already been standing for about 3 hours in line for the Towers, in the towers, and waiting for Mass to start.  My feet are happy that today's a travel day where I will be mostly sitting on public transportation, in airports, and on airplanes on my way to Morocco.