On Saturday evening it was a stage for the whole world, on Sunday the faithful and super fans of the cathedral took center stage during the reopening celebration of Notre-Dame de Paris. If you want to see the reborn building, you’ll have to plan ahead – or get lucky.
It almost worked, but now Christina Ceppi and Michael Pfennig from Schaffhausen, Switzerland, are left out in the cold. On Sunday morning they watched the Notre Dame Cathedral together from the Quai Saint-Michel, which was solemnly opened the evening before. “We already had the tickets, but then the site crashed,” says Pfennig, who is not discouraged by that. “It will work out next time,” says the Swiss, whose wife likes to go on holiday to Paris again and again.
The couple traveled especially for the opening and saw heads of state and government pay their respects in the cathedral on Saturday. Donald Trump, Jill Biden and Volodymyr Zelensky left on Sunday. The splendor seems forgotten, but it is mainly believers who brave the cold and rain. For example, a group of young students says, “We are here to see Notre Dame. This is a big event,” said Guilemette. “We are believers. We will see the inside of the cathedral as soon as possible, hopefully next week. We have waited five years for this.”
And Alain also has to be patient. He shows us a photo of his wife, who is sitting in the cathedral at the same time. “She won the draw for tickets from our church,” says the Parisian. “The reopening is great, for us French and also for the whole world.”
New altar dedicated
While Archbishop Laurent Ulrich inaugurates the new bronze altar just two hundred meters away, Emily from Canada also watches from outside. If you talk to the young woman, who has just moved to Paris, about the cathedral, she keeps talking: “I have more than a thousand things inspired by Notre Dame: jewelry, tattoos, furniture, bags…” she lists on. Her backpack is shaped like the world-famous west facade and her cell phone case features Quasimodo, the Hunchback of Notre Dame. “I’m probably the biggest fan and also offer private tours.”
How do you get to the cathedral?
When can ‘normal’ tourists finally take a look at the most visited building in Europe again? All places for the fair in the opening week until December 15 are already fully booked. For normal visits, there is an online reservation system on the Notre Dame homepage where you can reserve a time slot.
However, patience is needed. In principle, you can come to the cathedral without a reservation and try your luck. But with an expected 40,000 visitors per year, the queues will be long.
Source: Krone
I am Wallace Jones, an experienced journalist. I specialize in writing for the world section of Today Times Live. With over a decade of experience, I have developed an eye for detail when it comes to reporting on local and global stories. My passion lies in uncovering the truth through my investigative skills and creating thought-provoking content that resonates with readers worldwide.
