Their cathedral is prettier than my cathedral

So, I was going to update this thing every Sunday, but then I realized that was ridiculous, because there'd be way too much to put in each post. So I'm updating now, with some photos from last weekend, and I'll make another post with some ones from today.

So on Saturday, still horridly jetlagged and sans cell phone I decided to go to Notre Dame, mostly because it's the easiest site to get to on our closest metro system line (the RER B, for those interested - I also live about 2 blocks from the very southern end of the 4). We were, of course, greeted by this. Welcome to Paris.

Now. I'm a cathedral snob. It's what comes from 7 years in the beautiful building that is Washington National Cathedral. I know the names of every architectural feature, I know how to identify saints by what their statues are holding. I sorta felt like I'd been there, done that with gothic architecture.

I was completely and utterly wrong.

Notre Dame is a different thing entirely. The detail in the carvings, the absolutely stunning windows, the fact that it's just so friggin OLD makes it a completely different kind of experience than the one I have at WNC. I took a TON of pictures; here's just a couple:


The sheer number of tiny chapels in Notre Dame is impressive. The light that day was absolutely stunning.

The outside, in general.



The clerestory windows and ceiling.

It's funny; as I put up these pictures, I find myself thinking the same thing that I thought going in; that Notre Dame is really just another beautiful gothic cathedral. The pictures simply do not do it justice. There is a gravitas to the building unlike any I have ever experienced. The care that went into it, the history it has seen, and the sheer dramatic beauty of its art is an amazing testament to human achievement, and you can feel it. If you think I'm being over dramatic, I just have to say come see for yourself.