The first stone of the Notre-Dame Cathedral was laid in 1163 by Pope Alexander III. It took 170 years to complete. It stands on the site of a Roman temple. For me, it was one of those places that you go see because you are "supposed" to see it, but I was so, so glad we did. It is extremely beautiful and impressive. The pictures aren't the greatest--we never were exactly sure if we could take pictures or not, so we tried to just do it discreetly!
One of three main entrances. 
This was interesting to me...see the smaller statues in the center of the picture? The heads of these statues were all cut off by the revolutionists during the French Revolution. Later, replicas were made and put back on the statues. During the last century, the real heads (all but 1) were discovered during a nearby excavation. They are now on display in the museum.
The ceiling...amazing that things like this could be built that long ago.
The choir stalls
If you get bored will all the stained glass...sorry! It was my favorite part! This is the famous South Rose window, which is 43 ft. high.
On the "back" of the cathedral are the flying buttresses. They span 50 feet, and are truly spectacular. Pictures truly do not do this place justice.
You can see the buttresses a little better here.
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