It’s been an unusual time here in Paris the past few days, as crowds of people are flooding in, trying to get a glimpse of the damage to the historic Notre Dame cathedral for themselves, and trying to process the devastation caused by the fire.
Since Monday there has been an increased police presence around Notre Dame cathedral, controlling the crowds of spectators. Annick Foucrier, who lives close by, left her apartment along with hundreds of others to see the fire.
“We were people from many places. there were Parisians of course, but there were also tourists who were here. you could feel this common sense of tragedy that was happening.”
Notre Dame is a place of religion for some, a tourist attraction for others, but most importantly for France, a cultural icon.
“And for us, Notre Dame is so important because this is our ancestors. You know all these artisans, all these people were humble people but then they are together, they created something that was just beauty.” A local resident told Temple Update
The fire has had an undeniable impact on people worldwide, including two students from the Philadelphia region now living in Paris.
“This is the first time I’m seeing it. It’s disappointing not to see the spire anymore and the roof definitely, but i mean I’m hopeful. it looks like the majority of the building stood up.” Temple
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