A myriad of trips to Paris, countless walks past Notre Dame de Paris, immeasurable walks through the cathedral, with family, with friends, being a tour guide, and alone, just because I felt like it. When I was at university in Paris in the early 90’s hearing the bells ring at Notre Dame, seeing the crowds gather in front and walking past it to get to the gym, were part of my every day life. Yet, after this limitless exposure in my life, I had never climbed up the 387 steps to the top of the south tower. Today, with my girls, Lise and Julian, who are visiting from Calgary, we made our way up the old steep narrow steps of Notre Dame. This was after an hour of standing in line made tolerable by ingesting Nutella crepes. The wait was worth it for the 5 of us. What a magnificent view. Discovering new and different angles of the cathedral, the intimate view of the gargoyles and my first introduction to the 13 ton bell. All French bells have names and the enormous bell that hangs in the south tower is named Emmanuel. It takes 8 men to ring the bell by hand. Luckily no bells were ringing while we were climbing and admiring the views (although they might have been for Lise who has claustrophobic and vertigo issues). It was also remarkable to see the neighbourhood where my mother grew up, from above. The streets she roamed, the church where she was baptized and where several of my first cousins were married, from a completely different perspective. The distances look shorter, the buildings more fragile, and the colors more vivid. What a stunning area.
I love that in Paris, after all the trips here and all the time spent here, there are still parts of this fascinating city that I do not know and have yet to discover. My “home away from home” can still surprise and exhilarate me. My 40+ year wait to climb the stairs at Notre Dame was well worth it.
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