Ding dang dong

The desertion I spoke of earlier was a fluke. Friday was the start of a busy three day weekend here in Paris; you’d think it was the middle of June with all the people wandering around. Last night as we walked back through the crowded streets of the Latin Quarter and crossed over to the Ile de la Cité, we ran into an All Saints celebration at the Notre Dame. A queue of people stretched out the doors, many holding large white banners with saints depicted on them.

We followed the banners into the church and attended vespers, a service comprised mostly of parading banners, singing, and a guy swinging that little incense Smokey Joe around. If you ever get the chance to attend a church service in a huge Gothic cathedral, it’s worth your while. The organ music fills the entire church, an awe-inspiring feeling for the religious and non-religious alike.