Update on Notre Dame??

Yes, the perimeter map and any news should get updated on this link from the Paris Tourist Office.

I read the other day that the restoration will take so long that the only person living today who'll see it completed is Keith Richards.

Are you sure Keith Richards is actually still living?

does anyone know if the bridge to ile saint louis is open? thanks sue

Sue,

According to this website the bridge between Ile de la Cite and Ile St. Louis is open: https://en.parisinfo.com/practical-paris/info/guides/notre-dame-the-current-situation

thanks marty.

I was there two days ago. The perimeter barrier was in place and lots of people were there taking pictures, even in the rain. You can the place in the scaffolding where the tower crashed through in the middle. Pres. Macron pledged to rebuild it in six years, but that seems to be a bit ambitious.

Macron said five, but my term for that is “absurd.”

As I mentioned in another post, the Cathedral at Reims was shelled in 1918 and the wooden interior burned. Restoration started in 1920 and has still not been completed, so I agree that Macron's five years is twaddle.

the Cathedral at Reims was shelled in 1918 and the wooden interior burned. Restoration started in 1920 and has still not been completed, so I agree that Macron's five years is twaddle.

But don't you suppose that long time frame is more a matter of money than the actual work to rebuild? I have a feeling that money won't be the issue with restoring Notre Dame. It will be strictly a matter of the time it takes to actually do the work (after the who knows how long matter of deciding on a plan). So it may be, if not realistic, at least possible.

But don't you suppose that long time frame is more a matter of money than the actual work to rebuild?

No, I don’t. I agree with you that money is not going to be an issue here, but I think the kind of work recreating a centuries-old building, the various stages (everything can't be done simultaneously, some processes will have to be completed before others can even start), and the sheer volume of what has to be undertaken, taken altogether, suggest a much longer process.

But I’m neither an architect, nor an artisan versed in any of the necessary skills, nor a builder, so my “two cents” are probably worth about zero!!!

I enjoyed the Keith Richards comment immensely.

Can any one speak to the lead cleanup happening around Notre Dame? We will be staying in that area and have read that the regional train station there is to be closed. We arrive on Aug 23rd and think that station stop is the one we go to.
Our questions: What is the area of the cleanup? What transit options do we have to get to Quai Saint-Michel near the Saint Michel/Notre Dame RER Station? Can anyone speak to basic health precautions we should take, or is that a non-issue for a 2-week stay?

Article on the lead contamination

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/aug/13/notre-dame-fire-lead-contamination-clean-up-begins-around-cathedral

Thank you, Michael. This was just the article that prompted my questions.

National Public Radio broadcast a news feature this week on the huge amounts of lead that spread through the atmosphere from the fire. It reports a 'scandale' that inadequate warnings were given at the time to the neighbourhoods. There was also worry about polluting the Seine downstream. But the information was provided by a crusader and a more moderate view is that the immediate dangers have passed. Fingers crossed that the brave firemen will not be affected in the manner of the first responders to the World Trade Center.

I happen to be staying in my friend's pied-a-terre on Ile Saint Louis (you can see the spire from the bedroom). The cleanup this week for the lead contamination is set to complete on the 23rd, per the French news reports. You can still get access to certain sides of the grounds -- in fact alarmingly close at about 30 feet -- from the the bridge to Saint Louis. I'm surprised the area closed is not larger -- perhaps these surrounding areas will be covered later -- there has to be contamination all over (although I guess lead is very heavy).

I believe St MIchel Notre Dame RER C may be closed until the 1st of September. In fact, a good chuck of the C line in the popular tourist areas are closed until the 24th (including the Eiffel Tower and Musee d'Orsay). There are buses, Metro lines and more walking involved. RER B and Ligne 4 may be open -- check the web page or twitter for the latest.