Our Lady

I face la Cité from the Right Bank and take this grainy photo with my mobile. My first visit to Notre Dame was in '82 with my family - we were visiting Aunt Marcia and Larry, who was on a fat ex-pat package with Citi back in the day when a foreign assignment really meant something. Marcia gave up a lot to go too - she was the first mayor of Bronxville. Also with us was my grandmother Dorothy and I have a funny photo of us somewhere on la plaza. I was in ninth grade or 15 years-old. The trip planted an idea to spend a year abroad, which I did my Junior year of high-school in Geneva. Also that year the Italians won the World Cup and I recall their celebrations up and down the Champs-Élysées and everywhere. They beat Brazil of course. Notre Dame was recently cleaned up following a ten-year restoration that completed in 2002. Amongst many things, it removed a century of city grime and restored the original cathedral stone.

There are five bells at Notre Dame. The great bourdon bell, Emmanuel, is located in the South Tower, weighs just over 13 tons, and is tolled to mark the hours of the day and for various occasions and services. There are four additional bells on wheels in the North Tower, which are swing chimed. These bells are rung for various services and festivals. The bells were once rung manually, but are currently rung by electric motors. The bells also have external hammers for tune playing from a small clavier.

"When good Americans die they go to Paris."
Oscar Wilde