The Hunchback of Notre Dame

This is our last full day in Paris and we have a couple of more places to take in. Actually there are some things I wanted to do that we just did not have the time to get to like the Catacombs, going up to the top of the Eiffel Tower at night and taking in a French jazz club. Maybe on the next trip...

Thursday morning our day begins with a subway ride to Notre Dame. We also get some entertainment in the subway tunnel from this group who were performing chamber orchestra style music.

Although musical performers in the subway tunnels and in the subway cars is pretty typical (we endured/enjoyed an accordion player, saxophone player, guitar player and cello player at various times), this group was far from typical. In fact, their playing was fantastic and they even had CD's of their performances to sell. We donated a few euros since there were so many of them.

I have the feeling that most of the performers we encountered (at least the ones who were any good) probably have gigs at night and supplement those (as well as getting extra practice) with these performances in or on the subway. That's my thought, if you have definite information that is otherwise, please feel free to comment.

So, in answer to Mary D's question in the last post's comments, yes we did go to Notre Dame. Personally, it is not a big draw for me except from an historical, architectural and artistic standpoint. But you can't go to Paris without at least stopping in to see it, right? Here's some pictures from the front on the outside:

And a couple from the inside:

They also had a very nice model of the church:

And here is a shot of the bell tower that the nuns were trying to get me to be the bell ringer in. No way! You could only get up there by walking 422 steps up a circular stairway. What is it with the French and circular stairways?

Afterward, Cindy and her mom bought some souvenirs at a shop across the street, and then we walked back to the subway station to head to our next destination: Laduree!!