Notre Dame Fleurs

Cascading blossom reveal a glimpse of the cathedral on a cloudy day in spring.

Arriving as we did near Easter, the lines of visitors were extreme and so we took a turn around the cathedral, pausing beneath the cascading blossoms which saturated the air with a rich perfume and afforded us glimpses of gargoyles framed in flowers. Thank God Victor Hugo put people off the idea of pulling the whole thing down and for that true saint, Prosper Merimee for ensuring its restoration. Viollet-le-Duc’s pseudo-Gothic additions may have impressed Pugin but I remain unconvinced.