Paris - Notre Dame

Notre Dame literally, Our Lady referring to the Virgin Mary is one of the most famous landmarks of Paris and one of the most famous examples of Gothic architecture employed in Churches over the world. Here's the wiki page on the Notre Dame. And here's a first look at the cathedral itself -

Like every landmark in the world, the Notre Dame is breathtaking at day and at night when it's all lit up. Here's a sneak peek.

The attention to detail of every figure up on the Church is definitely worth a mention... Its a lot like the painted sculptures of the Gods n Goddesses on the temple gopurams. And here's a look -

And the deity within -

The good part about visiting the Notre Dame is that the entrance is free because its a cathedral. And even if you are not a religious catholic, there is enough to see... the stained glass paintings inside the cathedral are some of the most famous in the world. Check out one of the most famous ones here -

And there is a perfect replica that helps one gauge the enormity of the structure inside the Church. Its also one of the first churches (including the Westminister Abbey in London) to employ the Flying Buttress architectural technique to help keep the large windows and other openings on the walls of the Church. Here is the image of the model which outlines the flying buttresses. And you can read more about the technique here.

And a look of all the candles that people light in order to make wishes-

And the famous rose windows of course - outside -

And inside - as stained glass-

The other reason which makes the Notre Dame so famous is that it sits on the Île de la Cité, which is the only naturally formed island in Paris and the smallest in France. A point on this island right outside the Westen Entrance to the cathedral indeed marks the Point Zero or the centre point of Paris from where all the intial distances were measured.

The view from the south of the Church, when one goes on the cruise of the Seine is the most beautiful o fthe Church. Of course it completely misses the interesting Western front entrance, but its the ony view that does justice to the enormity of the structure itself. And as always there are 2 views - the day view -

and the night view-

Why should you visit the Notre Dame?

1. Île de la Cité is a beautiful island and St. Michel a beautiful place. Its lined with cafes and shopsand makes the whole experience worth your while.

2. Its famous! And you've got to have a picture at Point Zero - the centre of Paris.

3. Its free and you get to see all the stained glass paintings and classic gothic architecture.