It seemed obvious that in order to truly celebrate the Christmas season in Paris, attendance at Midnight Mass at Notre Dame Cathedral was a must. Thus, following our traditional Christmas Eve tapas-style dinner we hopped in a taxi and headed for the Ile de la Cite. We arrived two hours early, stood in line, passed through metal detectors, and had my purse searched before finally pushing our way through the sea of believers and tourists. The architecture and history only added to the haunting and inspiring melody of Angels We Have Heard on High, the most beautifully simple arrangement of that song I have heard.
The walk home was breathtaking. All of Paris was lit for Christmas Day and the city streets were virtually empty. Unfortuantely, that also meant locating a taxi to get home in took a bit, but the walk along rue de Rivoli to Place de la Concorde, though tiring at 2am. reminded me that the Ghost of Christmas Present has been very generous this year.
2 comments:
seriously, you're killing me! just beautiful...wish we were there...
Sina, That sounds much better than the Mass we attended here in Albany. Still there is something beautiful about Midnight Mass.
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