While we are staying in the 3rd Arrondisement, it turns out it is not far from the 1st Arrondisement, which contains the beating heart of Paris, the Ile de la Cite, the island in the middle of the Seine that contains Notre Dame. We took the 25 minute walk along Rue du Temple, straight past activities for the Paris Paralympics (which follow the Olympics), and across one of the four bridges that connect the Right Bank to Ile de la Cite. Here we circled Notre Dame, all wrapped up in scaffolding and fenced off from actual entry until December 2024. When the 13th century roof and 19th century spire collapsed in a fire in 2019, French President Macron promised the cathedral would be rebuilt by 2024. After the Olympics, if the Notre Dame reopens as planned in December, it will indeed be a special year for Paris.
The story of its reconstruction is contained in panels wrapped around the exterior of the cathedral. Not only has the structure been reconstructed using materials used in the 13th and 19th centuries (mostly French oak, felled from centuries-old trees and wait, for it, lead!), but everything is getting a good cleaning. See the panels above for just how dramatic it can be to clean centuries of grime off statues and paintings.
Because you can't yet step inside Notre Dame, the city has installed wood bleachers on the plaza to view the front of the cathedral, without scaffolding, so you can gaze at the Virgin Mary and Kings of Judah unimpeded.
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