Notre-Dame, Paris, August, 2016

post #428
       Next week: flowers. This week: Notre-Dame photos, since I happen to have some from a week's visit to Paris 2 1/2 years ago, thanks to my son and his family. We stayed in an Airbnb very nearby, and we also took a boat that goes around the island where Notre-Dame has stood since 1163.  In light of the tragedy of the terrible fire last week, I wanted to honor this Parisian landmark for those who have not ever had a chance to visit there. Like many other people, I was close to tears when I saw what was happening, even though it is not my country and not my religion. 
      Notre-Dame has instead some kind of universal stature, some significance for having stood there for so many centuries, through so many wars, as a reminder of beauty and human persistence. Today it is true that the money to preserve the church as it was may now be better spent helping us in other ways. A fire reminds us that things can change very quickly. Like our climate that is changing faster than we are willing to admit. Keeping things the way they were is no longer a good enough solution to anything. 
      Anyway, some photos:

The tall tourist is my son.

an inside chapel

incense from a church service that was ending

        I may add a few more photos tonight, including one of us in Paris. But the time has come to spend time with my family here today. I do hope these photos give a personal feel to what can be a lot to take in.