Barcelona & Paris:Notre-Dame and the 5th Arrondisement (Paris Day 4)

Notre-Dame de Paris was constructed in the 12th centurey, and re-opened just a few months ago, after a devastating fire on April 15, 2019 engulfed the spire and much of the roof. Although re-opened, the Notre-Dame is still under construction at the time of our visit.

The structure covers >6,000 square meters (127 meters long, and 48 meters wide), and the interior is 4,800 square meters. The height of the towers is 69 meters, but the height under the roof of the nave is 43 meters. It can hold up to 9,000 people.

We have a 9am appointment, and the crowds at this time of day are much smaller, and grow as the day goes on. There is no fee to enter.

When people first enter the Notre Dame, of course everyone stops to take a photo of the beautiful cathedral from the back, looking towards the front.

Here are views they are actually seeing, from the very back of the cathedral, looking towards the front.

View upon entering the cathedral, from the back, looking to the front

View from the left side looking across to the right side

Surrounding the interior of the cathedral is an open hall called the ambulatory that wraps around and has 29 chapels which were added in the 13th century.

I find the transept beautiful with openness and the blue stained glass windows.

Looking straight up at the transept

The Parvis de Notre-Dame is the square in front of the cathedral. When the crowd waiting to enter the cathedral builds, the line runs from the doorway back to the bleachers from where the first photo is taken.

Parvis de Notre-Dame on a quiet morning

Upon closer look, you can see the workers, and there are very tall cranes off to the river side of the cathedral.

Proof that we were there (in addition to the fact that I took all these other photos)

Following our visit to Notre-Dame, we explore the 5th arrondissement, one of the Paris' oldest districts. Mike had found a great resource calling out a walkable exploration of the area.

First stop is a small coffee shop name Crible, 75 Rue Buffon, 75005 Paris. Barely room for 3 customers inside, but it was pleasant and the coffee was good.

The menu sign outside Crible

The tiny interior of Crible

Our next destination within the 5th arrondissement is Rue Mouffetard. This is a charming street with markets, specialty food shops, and restaurants.

Now off to lunch at a bouillon - a type of restaurant that serves simple, traditional French cuisine. Bouillon de L'ile, 66 Rue Saint-Louis en l'Île, 75004 Paris, is on Île Saint-Louis.

We show up just prior to opening, as we expect it to get full. And it's a good thing we did. As our meal progressed, the tables got squeezed together more and more - maybe only 6-9 inches apart, requiring a lot of shuffling to get people in or out of their table. And definitely lacking tourists.

Soup of the day

Eggplant with rice

Malfati ricotta epinard

An example of the common charming storefronts in this neighborhood: this florist shop near our lunch spot: Kabrousse, 51 Rue Saint-Louis en l'Île, 75004 Paris.

It's a short pleasant walk back to the hotel in Marais

On our walk back, we learned something about how moving furniture is done in older buildings with tiny elevators: They are put on a platform, raised up on a ladder, and brought in through the window!

Demonstrating the moving technique

A little dessert BEFORE dinner today: The marveilleux ("marvelous"), according to Aux Marveilleux de Fred, is described as "Airy, melt-in-the-mouth meringue, coated in whipped cream and covered with chocolate or meringue shavings". So so delicious, not at all sweet.

Dinner tonight