Notre Dame and Cafe American

Our day of major monuments in Paris began with Notre Dame. My heart skipped a beat when I first saw this magnificent cathedral with my own eyes instead of in the pages of a book. All my life I'd known of Notre Dame, and here I was, standing on its steps. The windows, the carvings, the vaulted ceilings, and the carved capitals are all the more magnificent for the stories they tell. There is great theology in her stone, wood and glass. And to think that it is a mere 800 years old! For me, the churches and cathedrals were the best part of every place we visited in France. I love to look at the iconography and see if I can "read" the stories there. I also like the peacefulness and quiet in these places. It was lacking in Notre Dame, however. It was hard to overlook the fact that the place was packed.

Before we entered the cathedral, we went to a sidewalk cafe right across the street for a cup of coffee. Dad was desparate; you can't get coffee in a paper cup anywhere. It is our observation that the French sit down and enjoy their coffee in cafes at all hours of the day and night. They don't seem to be in a hurry to do anything. Anyway, we tried to order just plain black coffee and five cokes. The cokes were familiar, but the coffee was not. I think it was a double espresso. We have since learned that if you just want black coffee, you order cafe american. They bring you the same thing, but they give you water to cut the strength (then they turn their heads and laugh). By the way, 2 coffees and 5 cokes were over 30 Euros! But I suppose the ambiance and the view were worth far more.

(Posted by Mom; all pictures by Shannon)