An explorer once said, “it feels good getting lost in the right direction.” I agree. On my second day in Paris, my friend Zaria and I lost ourselves in Paris. No, we literally got lost trying to find Sacre-Coeur, a famous Catholic Church located in Montmartre, a large hill in Paris’ 18th arrondissement. Before we journeyed to the church we did some brief research about which train and metro stop would get us closest to the church. With what now seems like relatively little information, my friend and I set off to Sacre-Coeur. We had a mini photo shoot on the train and before we knew it, it was time to get off the train. We frantically gathered our belongings and ran out of the metro. The exit to the train reminded me of Halloweentown with its gothic feel to its archway and the structure of the lamp post.
We desperately looked around for a clue as to where to go. We asked a few people for directions and at first it was helpless because we didn’t speak French but finally we came across a young man who spoke English. He gave us brief directions, “Walk straight for 5 meters then turn right.” I shook my head yes. Zaria looked at me confused and said, “Girl, do you know how far 5 meters is?” I said, “No” and we continued walking straight. When we reached the corner of the street where we met our guide, we discovered a swarm of people and I shouted, “We must be close!” and we were. Zaria and I stood at the bottom of a steep hill and admired the beautiful Romano- Byzantine domes of Sacre-Coeur. We took a few moments to mentally prepare for the journey up the hill before we ascended stairs that seemed to have no end. Halfway up the steps we stopped to watch some people gamble and got sucked into the hype. After participating in the festivities, the dealer uprooted his display and ran off with the people we thought were civilians. We later realized they were working with him. We quickly checked ourselves to make sure we didn’t get robbed, luckily, we didn’t. Imagine that, a New Yorker getting robbed! Tuh! I immediately related the incident to an episode of “Everybody Hates Chris” when Chris was gambling in the bus station and lost the family’s money for their holiday trip because the dealer was cheating.
Possessions intact, the Sacre-Coeur awaited our arrival. Upon reaching the top of the steps our breath was taken away, literally. I’m an asthmatic so it took me a while to catch my breath but as soon as I did you know I had to have a mini photo shoot before entering the church. For me, the outside of the church was more beautiful than the inside. What stood out to me the most was the altar. I’m not very religious but I do believe in God and I frequently pray in the privacy of my bed room. I was immediately drawn to the white light surrounding the altar. I sat there and prayed a while. A few weeks before this trip, my aunt passed away and two days prior to my journey to Paris was her birthday. I decided to buy a candle at the church and light it in her honor. This was very soothing for me since I wasn’t in New York to say my final goodbyes. After taking a slow lap around the church to admire the biblical murals and hit up the souvenir shop, Zaria and I finally exited the church. As I stood at the top of the steps to the church, I stared down at the city of Paris in amazement. It was one of the best panoramic views of Paris, even better than the Eiffel Tower. In that moment, I understood why all famous artists like Pablo Picasso, Vincent Van Gogh and Langston Hughes, journeyed to Sacre-Coeur at some point in their life. It was simply magical and inspirational.
Once Zaria and I finished hiking down the steps of Sacre-Coeur, we immediately set out for Notre-Dame De Paris, a medieval Catholic cathedral. Again, we had no idea where we were going but on our way to Sacre-Coeur we passed a metro stop named Notre-Dame so we were hopeful that we would find it. While we were on the metro, we had a nice brief conversation with an older American woman. She initiated the conversation when she noticed that we were speaking English. We sat with her and told her about our travels in Europe and she told us about the new life she began in England. She was very happy to encounter other Americans and she expressed her admiration for what we were doing as young black travelers. It was when she asked us what our next stop was (we told her Notre Dame cathedral) that a couple sitting across from us announced that they were going to the same place. We asked them if the metro stop labeled after the church was the correct route to Notre-Dame and to which they emphatically replied, “No, it's something completely different.” They invited us to follow them and we did.
After a few metro stops and a train transfer we could see the dome to Notre-Dame. To reach the church Zaria and I had to cross a bridge and walk past a couple of enticing crepe stands, which was mouth-watering. As I approached the church, my jaw dropped. There was a long line to enter the church and it gave me ample amount of time to admire the outside of the church. I couldn't stop gazing at the intricate detail of the church. There were an abundance of statues lining the perimeter of the church, the arch way of the church. Gargoyles adorned each corner of the church. All of which had different facial expressions and were very elaborate. The next day during my Free Tour, the tour guide pointed out to the group how Notre- Dame was not symmetrical. It was believed (during the construction of Notre-Dame) that only God´s creation possessed perfection hence the architects intentionally built the church disproportionate as an indication that it was man-made. Unlike Sacre-Coeur, Notre-Dame was as beautiful inside as it was exquisite outside. When I walked in the church and gazed upon the altar I remember thinking, “When I become rich, this is the church I want to get married in.”
Typical of gothic churches, Notre- Dame has numerous stain glass windows. The most beautiful ones were the windows surrounding the altar, they were a mosaic spectrum of greens and blues. I stood at the altar staring at them for about 5 minutes. Before walking around the church Zaria and I paid 3 euros to enter the church's museum. On display were ancient artifacts of the church like religious clothing worn by previous priests, head wear and silverware. What amazed Zaria and I was the fact that the head ware and silverware all contained some type of precious gem whether it was a diamond, ruby or pearl. It was all embedded in gold and was stunning. Another thing that particularly stood out to me was the fact that in Notre-Dame intricate sculptures were used to convey narratives from the Bible. As I stated before, I’m not exceptionally religious but for me these detailed sculptures created a bigger picture and I couldn’t help but feel enlightened. This was truly a Sunday well spent at church. Different as they were, both monuments of the Christian faith, truly inspired one to marvel at the works of men and the glory of God’s divine inspiration.