To visit Notre Dame, you can take your chances with the line, or make a reservation. (evannovostro (Adobe Stock))
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Living in the KMC offers you a fantastic opportunity to catch a direct ICE Train and be to Paris in less than two and a half hours. This means that I’ve been quite a few times in the three years I’ve lived in Kaiserslautern. So why trek to the City of Lights once again? We’d never gotten to visit Notre Dame. Because of the reconstruction taking place since the fire in 2019, we’d only ever seen the outside of the cathedral. Well, we were about to PCS out of Europe, so now was the time, and my upcoming wedding anniversary was the motivation to get back on the train and head west.
I’ll admit that after my last trip to Paris, when my little brother visited, I had decided I was done with this city. Beautiful, historical, and beguiling as it is, one can only climb up the Eiffel Tower, down into the catacombs or up again the steps of the Sacré-Cœur so many times before one’s glutes give out. I have battled the mobs at the Louvre twice and ambled down the Champs Elysees to look up at the Arc de Triomphe both in the heat of summer, and the unforgiving winds of winter. I do know how lucky I am, but I am also allowed to be weary aren’t I? This time was going to be easier, a short stay, a targeted area, a relaxed vibe and no outriders.
After an uneventful train ride, we arrived once again at Gare de l’Est. ( psychoshadow (Adobe Stock))
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After an uneventful train ride, we arrived once again at Gare de l’Est and easily made our way to the Latin Quarter where we would be staying a 10-minute walk to Notre Dame. For the evening, I booked a boat tour with Bateaux Parisiens. There are several boat tours from which to choose, but this one left from Notre Dame and the glass of champagne offered didn’t hurt, perfect for an hour-long anniversary excursion. The tour had commentary in several languages and was a lovely, relaxing activity for people who have seen much of Paris on foot.
To visit Notre Dame, you can take your chances with the line or make a reservation. Entry is free in both instances. Reservations are only doable up to three days prior, and I did find myself up at midnight three days before, refreshing my screen for eight minutes to secure a spot before they were all gone, which they were when I awoke at 6 a.m. and checked out of curiosity. However, when we showed up early on the morning of our reservation, there was no line, and we zigged and zagged through the retractable belt barriers meant to corral the masses sure to show up later in the day and easily made our way inside.
Notre Dame is stunning; it’s breathtaking; it is majestic. (Lsantilli (Adobe Stock))
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Notre Dame is stunning; it’s breathtaking; it is majestic. However, if you are looking up into the crevices to envision Quasimodo making his way among the rafters or attempting to channel the sensation of 862 years of history, candle smoke and incense, you will need imagination. Hugely appreciative though I am of the architecture, the art, the history, the tradition, and the opportunity, because of the necessary evil of restoration, Notre Dame is pretty, well…..fresh?
I thoroughly enjoyed walking through listening to the complimentary audio guide that is on their app. I snapped more pictures of the breathtaking interior than I care to admit, I sat for a bit to absorb it all while my husband took time to pray. The time we spent walking the black and white checkered floor and staring at the rose windows until our eyes watered will forever be a cherished memory of our anniversary. However, if you have been in Europe for a while and traveled around as we have, then you will have been in several ancient and charming structures of worship, some older than others.
If you are seeking the enigmatic ambiance of a structure that has bore witness to centuries of ceremony and the mysteries of religious devotion, it can be found here; however, there are other cathedrals, duomos and abbeys that deliver that more effectively only because they have had the good fortune not to be so ravaged by fire. Notre Dame is still an absolute must if you have the opportunity, and a beautiful way to spend a morning in Paris... even if you aren’t celebrating an anniversary.
Notre Dame is an absolute must if you have the opportunity. (vichie81 (Adobe Stock))
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Editor’s Note: This article was written by a member of the local military community, not an employee of Stars and Stripes. Neither the organization nor the content is being represented by Stars and Stripes or the Department of War.
