Gargoyles at Notre Dame

After climbing the towers you see monsters, half-man and half-beast. These demon looking creatures carved out of stone are called gargoyles.  The word gargoyle comes from a Latin word, meaning gullet or drain. That's what the strange looking creatures are, they're drainpipes. Each grotesque figure has a passageway inside that carries rainwater from the roof and out through the gargoyle's mouth. From the top of the Notre Dame Cathedral's towers the gargoyles have a magnificent view of the city of Paris.  

Basilique du Sacré Cœur

A view of the Basilique du Sacre Coeur on the highest point in Paris taken from inside of the Musee d'Orsay in May of 2012. 
From Wikipedia.....
Sacré-Cœur is built of travertine stone quarried in Château-Landon (Seine-et-Marne), France. This stone constantly exudes calcite, which ensures that the basilica remains white even with weathering and pollution.
It was built in the 1870's from private donations. 

New Bells for Notre Dame's Birthday

 Notre Dame Cathedral of Paris will celebrate it's 850th anniversary in 2013 with many celebrations through the year....one of the biggest ceremonies will be the blessing and installation of the new bells which have just arrived in Paris.

In 2012 as part of a huge project the 4 old bells of the North tower were removed, melted down, and recast into a new set of 8 bells and are now ready to be rehung in the North tower. A 9th Bell called Marie is also being cast and will hang with Emmanuel in the South tower.