The Cathedral of Notre Dame and........

Here we are in the square outside the beautiful Notre Dame Cathedral!!It was renamed in 2006 to honor the late Pope John Paul II.

We are standing in front of the Notre Dame Cathedral!!I nearly did a Happy Dance!!!

It is large and it is Stunning!!!

The detail is unbelievable....

Once inside the sheer magnitude of this spectacular place takes your breath away.

There were so many stained glass windows, each one more beautiful. This place commanded your utmost dignity and respect.

I loved all the gargoyles, the answer to "How many gargoyles"....is 5,000!!!"Gargoyle" comes from the Old French "gargouille" and the Late Latin "gurgulio," both meaning throat. Medieval gargoyles are just that, ornate, drainpipes!!!The most famous gargoyle figurines are argued to be those atop Paris's famed Cathedral of Notre Dame.

The surrounding garden...We all loved all the tulips, so pretty and so large.

Off to lunch here......we sat right in that booth...the prices of meals is a quick realization that you are no longer in the USA....water is more expensive then a glass of wine!!!No re-fills on anything and soda will cost you about 4 or 5 euros, which is about 6 or 7 American dollars!!Lunch is usually cheaper, but will still cost you about 20.00 American dollars. Dinner is usually 30.00 or more!!Stayed tuned some meals are Much more then that!!!!But hey, I am IN PARIS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The building below is the Hotel de Ville...not a HOTEL like America thinks....it was once the site of public executions. Today it is the Municipal headquarters for the city of Paris.The building below the Hotel de Ville is the Conciergerie.....it dates back to late 13th century--early 14th century. Today this building is a wing of the Palais de Justice. The ground floor is pictured below as well, with it's massive pillars supporting Gothic vaults.The Conciergerie is most associated with the French Revolution. The building was converted to a state prison in the 16th century. The cell Marie Antoinette occupied was converted into a small chapel in 1816. The Royal prisoner called "that Austrian woman" was incarcerated from Aug. 2nd til Oct. 16 when at 7 a.m. after cutting her own hair, she climbed atop the executioner's cart to be taken to the same scaffold where her husband had died 9 months earlier. Pictured below is a re-enactment of her final moments in that cell. After visiting so many of the Palaces and Chateaus surrounding Paris.....it is no wonder the French citizens revolted against their Government....hmmmmm........is America at that Point????          THE last picture show's us buying our fresh baguette's, croissants and wonderful desserts.......I miss having fresh bread each morning!!