Notre Dame was nearly lost to us all
Four short years ago we made the reluctant decision to shorten our trip to Italy by three days. Why would we do this? To make our first ever visit to Paris to see the Eiffel Tower and Notre Dame.
At first we were hesitant to give up any days which took us out of Italy early. Ultimately, we decided it would be a good idea to sacrifice a few days for Paris. Boy, were we right!
Had we not made the trip to Paris back in 2015, we most likely wouldn’t have seen it before this devastating fire struck. As it is for many, the regrets of putting off visiting Notre Dame are now hitting home.
The fire of April 15, 2019 nearly robbed us all of a historical jewel. Seeing the cathedrals flaming spire topple over into its Nave was a dagger to the heart. Watching the flames consume the 13th century timber roof was a sobering and devastating sight. More than that, the realization that Paris was about to lose its beloved cathedral to the rapidly spreading fire was a sickening possibility.
Fortunately this ending did not come to fruition. The iconic flying buttresses with the help of the Parisian firefighters held strong to save the bell towers and Nave walls. Miraculously much of the stained glass windows may have survived the flames.
Watching the dramatic scenes of smoke and flames billowing from the cathedral was devastating. It was the footage of tearful Parisians lining the River Seine singing hymns as they watched their Church burn that left a real impact on me. It was a powerful scene.
The resurrection of Notre Dame begins
Even before the clean up had begun, a promise to rebuild from President Emmanuel Macron was announced. Not only did he plant the seed to rebuild Notre Dame, he said it will be done in 5 years. France’s ultra wealthy, big corporations and regular citizens have already pledged over a billion dollars towards the reconstruction. There are official fundraising campaigns being set up to accept donations worldwide.
However, be very careful to do your homework if you choose to donate to the restoration efforts of the church in the coming weeks. The scam fundraisers will certainly outnumber the official sites by 10 fold.
Like many others, we will be donating to this grand cathedral for its rebuild. Let’s hope that the architectural design they go with will honor the past craftsmen and artisans.
WARNING: Putting off seeing the worlds historical treasures may result in you never seeing them at all
Without a doubt we were fortunate to see Notre Dame before the disastrous fire struck. Of course it should also be said, we look forward to seeing Notre Dames Resurrection.
Last but not least, we would love to share our gallery of images from our only visit to Notre Dame. Without a doubt these photos have become much more to us than just our average holidays pictures.
(Click on an image to view full size)
