Tuesday, April 16, 2019

My Experience at Notre Dame

Back in 1984, I signed up for a 3-day weekend trip to Paris (my one and only trip there).  We went to Notre Dame on a Sunday as a group, and entered the church.

My impression?  It was geared or built as a tourist-trap.  Probably over 300 folks were in the interior, and we spent around 30 minutes there before being hustled out by the tour guide. 

Physical shape?  Even at that point (1984), I could see various bit of evidence that it needed renovation. 

Going back over the past forty years, I've probably been to at least a dozen cathedrals around Europe and New York City.  All of them today....have flipped over into being simple tourist-traps. 

As for the rebuild job?  Well, behind all the chatter, you are looking at a 15-to-20 year rebuild project, that probably will exceed more than 1-billion Euro.  The craftsman folks for this project?  They've got a job to ensure employment for a full ten years, but sadly have to accept the idea of living in the midst of Paris. 

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