Of course I feel bad about a landmark like Notre Dame going up in flames, but more about the architecture and history than what it is....or was, assuming they can save any of it.
I have no emotion for a building. Or at least that one. I think I kind of did for the twin towers. 18 years has clouded my memories.
When we were in Paris, going to (let alone into) Notre Dame wasn't even on our list to see. We walked near it, saw no line and shrugged, "why not?". And it was free.
How do I say this nicely? It's a church.
That's it.
Lots of carved wood and religious iconography. It's not quite, you've seen one cathedral, you've seen 'em all kind of thing, but it's not too far from that either.
I've been in churches. Truth be told, I was bored early on. And me being bored was way better than the photo ops that were doing on there. People with their arms stretched out with a rosary dangling from their hand, so a friend could catch a picture of them from behind.
Artsy. Fartsy. And sacrilegious.
Faux Worship. I love it, though I hated it.
I didn't care to be in there for the right reasons. Folks like that were there for the wrong ones.
I will say this - I totally missed knowing you could go up and look at the gargoyles. THAT I would have done. Looking at a rose window or a dead Jesus didn't do much for me.
Oh - and the loss of / in the fire: part of the crown of thorns that Jesus wore.
Really?
As 710 said: can I see their Certificate of Authenticity? No shit.
I'm sure it was devastating to watch burn. I'm also guessing, if it were construction related, that the company doing repairs don't have enough insurance to cover this damage.
I did find it interesting that Notre Dame has more visitors per year than the Eiffel Tower. I wouldn't have thought that - but don't discount the power of 'free'. Or a bunch of people who are afraid of heights.
The thing with something like this is: it's not really gone. It will be immortalized in another fashion, and that's not a bad thing. Things change. It's the nature of it all, and it's rarely pretty when it happens.
Song by: St. Vincent
