Notre Dame de Paris and the Crypt

After our included breakfast at the Mecure Centre Paris Tour Eiffel hotel, Doug lounged on the bright red couch before heading out to the Hop on Hop off Tootbus. It was probably a good thing he rested because we had a long day ahead of us.
We started by visiting outside the Notre Dame Cathedral which is under construction after the 2019 fire that left a stone skeleton behind. Even surrounded by scaffolding, she's beautiful!
We descended the steps in front of the church to enter the archeological crypt of Roman ruins that had been found when excavation started in the mid 20th century to build a car park. It was very interesting to see the stone blocks used to create this town, some of which the Romans reused from forums that had been built further out from the Ile du cite. These blocks had names of important people carved into their sides as their seats at the forum would have been "reserved".
In addition to learning about the ruins, the crypt contained information, art and models about Victor Hugo's creation of the Hunchback of Notre Dame. Prior to this book, there had been plans to demolish the Cathedral which had fallen into some disrepair. But the story ignited a passion for the Cathedral in the hearts of the French and was the catalyst for a huge restoration project for this historic icon. Now Notre Dame is again undergoing a huge restoration and hopefully she'll stand for centuries to come.Read more