Visiting Paris had been a 10-year dream for me when Eric and I finally took the trip a few years ago.There was alot about Paris that called to me....art, food, wine, architecture, history, music, fashion...but what I wanted more than anything was to climb the tower of Notre Dame to take photos of the gargoyles.
I kept a journal during our trip...here's some of what I wrote about my gargoyle hunt.
"I've dreamed about taking photos from the tower of Notre Dame with gargoyles in the foreground and the Paris rooftops in the background..... Eric and I even "trained" before the trip so we would be able to sprint up those 400 winding steps to the top of the tower."
"Since arriving in Paris, I've been waiting for the perfect weather to maker our Notre Dame tower trip. Each day has been too overcast or rainy, but today, with partly cloudy skies, was to be my chance."
"We were first in line to enter the tower. The steps were just as I imagined. Narrow, getting narrower the higher we climbed, they were worn from centuries of feet going up and down. As I climbed I imagined ol' Quozimoto struggling to climb these stairs to ring the bell."
"Finally I could see the light from the open doorway above. I rounded the corner and stepped out onto the tower floor. And right in front of me was the gargoyle I had traveled half way across the world to meet and take his picture. Of course, I refer to the "Bored Gargoyle". With his elbows propped up on the ledge he had his head in his hands and he was staring out at the rooftops of Paris mischievously sticking his tongue out."
"I was amazed at how my differnt types of creatures landed up on top Notre Dame with, in my opinion, the world's best view. There they've watched Pairs for over 1,000 years. What their stone eyes must have seen. War, revolution, industrialization, celebrations, wedding, funerals....and they had a front row seat to it all."
these photos are AMAZING!!!
Posted by: Patty Stephens | August 06, 2010 at 09:24 PM