Place: Notre Dame de Paris -Paris
On Île de la Cité - a wonderful natural island on the Seine River, stood in fornt of me the amazing architecture of Notre Dame De Paris.. My eyes were fixed on the enormous bell tours and infinite number of sculptures. I kept looking and observing the smallest details on the wonderfully designed and preserved walls until i realised that i have been standing still for the past 30 minutes..
I sat down between the crowds who were obviously experiencing the same feeling of silence and amazement.
I looked on the three arcs below the steep Bell towers.. looked from far away almost the same arcs but looking to them more precisely i noticed that they differ, not only in the contents but in the arc shape.
I recalled what i have read before about the Cathedral, and flashback images of the 12th century interrupted my vision.. horses carrying huge stones.. infinite number of workers.. building the new "parish church of the kings of Europe". Another flashback.. of Heraclius of Caesarea calling for the Third Crusade..
An experience that u can only have if you just stand in front of this Cathedral. I decided to go in, people were waiting for the Easter Mass. I lit a candle and slowly entered the enourmous wooden door. It seemed for a moment that i am travelling in time, and found myself in a new world, filled with people.. with various facial expressions. Old women praying, their men staring into the Alter..
Then suddenly i heard a familiar melody, a melody that i used to hear on simple insturments, but this time it felt different, i turned around.. with my eyes searching for the soure of the music until they fell on a very huge Organ. I tired to get a bit closer, and saw hundreds of pipes.. bouncing out a harmonic sounds that led me to an experiance totally different than anyother religious experienes i have ever had.
I sat, and didn't feel how an hour and a half passed while listening to the Holy Mass of Easter. I looked on the people's faces, some were happy, other were worried, other were expression-less.. but all were having something that kept them silent and peaceful.
The Mass finished, and i went out with the crowds, it was time to go as it was getting late and dark, i stopped a bit and looked on the western facade of the Cathedral. I looked my out from the Square and crossed the street towards the Metro Station.
I stopped for a moment and looked back to the Bell Towers of the Cathedral, and for a moment i saw a vivid backflash of The Hunchback of Notre Dame, waiting for the building process of the Cathedral that started 9 centuries ago, to be finished.
