Exploring Notre Dame Cathedral

The day we decided to walk around Paris and see the Notre Dame Cathedral it was raining cats and dogs.  It was a perfect backdrop to the huge cathedral.  I kept expecting Quasimodo to peek out from behind a pillar or doorway!

It wasn't very crowded due to the weather and the scary terrorist threats that had started to leak into the news just two days before Shug and I flew into France.  It was apparent the French were taking these threats seriously, because there were extra armed soldiers and surrounding military vehicles at every entrance to the cathedral.  It was a weird juxtaposition going from this armed exterior to the quiet darkness of a mass in progress.

Once we were inside, we decided to light some candles just to be on the safe side!  Shug and I actually made a point of lighting a candle in every cathedral we visited!

The smell of incense was really overpowering, but it looked so beautiful illuminated by the setting sun shining through the stained glass windows.

Once we were back outside we took some shots of the amazing sculptures and architecture.  The intricacy of just the doorway probably took someone's entire life to complete.

The innovations in physics and architecture it took to complete the Notre Dame Cathedral are truly amazing when you think about how long it took to complete this building: 1163-1345.  I need to remember this when I get frustrated with my inability to finish some challenging projects...!  I hope you all have a nice long weekend!  See you Tuesday! xo.