A Story for the Walk: Looking Back at Notre-Dame

On the way to Shakespeare and Company, glance back from the bridge before you reach the crosswalk, and you'll see Notre-Dame's south rose window. It's a relief that the rose window survived the 2019 fire. During World War II, there were fears that German forces might bomb the windows, so the glass was reportedly taken out for the duration of the war and put back afterward.

In the film Before Sunset, set in Paris, Jesse looks at Notre-Dame and tells Céline a story: "When the Germans occupied Paris and were about to retreat, they wanted to destroy Notre-Dame. So they left one man behind and ordered him to push the detonator, but he couldn't do it. He was just too taken with how beautiful it was." When Céline asks if it's true, Jesse replies, "I don't know, it's just a story." Whether it really happened is unknown, but the tale gives a sense of just how beautiful Notre-Dame is.