Paris- Day 2: Dinner and Mass

Does it get better than this? On my left a rainbow, on my right Notre Dame.

After getting a little snack at the Louvre food court (Laura needs to take her pain meds with food) we took the Metro (we bought a three day pass) to the Notre Dame area. Notre Dame has been the one thing that I really wanted to see while in Paris and when it came into view I gave a short high-pitched squeal. I'm sure none of you find this surprising.

We decided that our one splurge item would be a dinner cruise down the Seine so once we got to the Notre Dame area we bought those tickets, which I think were reasonably priced at 30 euro. Brittany and Stacy went to go get the tickets at the stand by the river while Laura and I made friends with a Moroccan man who was promoting the tour. We seem to make friends wherever we go. After reserving our spots on the 8 o’clock tour we headed over to a souvenir shop that was selling various posters so we browsed those. Each of us got about four posters and I was sent to do what I do best- haggle. Unfortunately my haggling got them to drop the price a whopping 50 cents off of 22 euro. I guess I wasn’t on my A-game.

After getting our lovely posters that I cannot wait to put in my new apartment we headed over to Notre Dame and it was amazing. Unfortunately it was closed for a church service but the outside was so ornate that I could look at it for hours (and I did the next day). As we walked across the Seine a rainbow came out so we had to stop and take a ton of pictures. How can you beat a rainbow over the Seine next to Notre Dame?

Lovely Ladies

After taking our fill of pictures we walked around the church, getting it from all angles. We even sat on the walls next to the Seine and chatted for a while taking in the Paris sunlight. Before we knew it is was time to gather for our dinner cruise, which Stevie and her friends were joining us for. Although the food was not the best I’ve ever had it was good. I had chicken, rice, rolls, some sort of coffee flavoured mousse and chocolate cake. I also sat between Laura and Stevie, and I always enjoy spending time with Stevie because she is so funny and we laugh a lot together (not that I don’t love everyone in the Wolf Pack for their own reasons). Stevie even encouraged me to take a handful of green olives from the bar as we were leaving; I’m keeping it pretty classy in Paris.

Eiffel Tower from the Seine

After dinner Stacy and Brittany decided to go to the Eiffel Tower to see the light show on the hour (they ended up going up in it as well) and Laura and I decided we wanted some crepes and then to go back to the hostel. We never ended up getting the crepes but we did walk by Notre Dame and the doors were open so I asked Laura if we could go in and check it out. As we stepped over the threshold a choir started singing and we realized we were walking into a candlelight mass. Breathtaking.

Going into a candlelight mass at 10 pm on Easter Saturday at Notre Dame was a very moving and beautiful experience. The whole sanctuary was lit by candles that each person was holding giving it a completely different feel that I can’t even put into words. It had a soft glow that didn’t travel all the way up to the ceilings almost like you were under the sky. It was all in French and everyone was so enthralled in the service that it was emotional even for me who had no idea what they were saying. The choir sounded beautiful. After I got out I called my father immediately and he said that I was seeing the church as it was 200, 300, 400, 500 years ago. I told him to not even tell me that or I might start crying. He said it sounded like I already was.