Find out how the world is coming together to restore it after this week's devastating fire. Read the complete report here:
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02:50The Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris has very personal memories for me
02:55because every time I've gone to Paris,
02:58it is essentially the first place I go to.
03:01Because more than anything else, it is an incredible experience.
03:05It is beautiful.
03:07The Gothic architecture resonates,
03:10along with the fact that there is so much art inside.
03:14And there is also a sense of serenity.
03:16And I think one of the best things is when the natural light filters in
03:20through the stained-glass windows.
03:22It is an incredible experience for me, and I guess for a lot of people.
03:27Yesterday, when I actually saw this news,
03:30I think my emotions kind of resonated
03:34with a lot of the social media feedback that I was seeing,
03:37which was like heartbreak.
03:39I actually visited the Notre Dame very recently.
03:42It was summer of last year.
03:44And I remember when I made plans to go to Paris,
03:47that was like one of the top things that I listed,
03:50that that's the first place I'm going to go to.
03:52And, of course, I was not disappointed once I went.
03:56It was just beautiful, the architecture.
03:59I really love art. I love history.
04:01So it was all up my alley.
04:03And I couldn't believe I was there.
04:05But looking at the videos and the pictures that circulated online last night
04:10were just devastating.
04:12So I went to Paris in the summer of 2017.
04:15And it was a Sunday when we landed.
04:18The first thing we did was actually visit the Notre Dame Cathedral.
04:21We were right in time for mass, so there was a long line outside.
04:25But somehow we made it inside the church.
04:28I remember that moment when we stepped in.
04:30There were hymns going on inside.
04:32It was completely full of people.
04:35And the atmosphere was honestly electric.
04:38And thinking about it gives me goosebumps.
04:42And when I heard about the devastating fire,
04:46I was actually very upset.
04:48I remember standing outside, taking pictures,
04:51and just kind of taking the whole scene in.
04:53It's such an iconic building.
04:55And I've heard so much about it from books and in literature.
04:59And seeing it in front of you so decadent is a whole other experience.
05:04I could actually feel it.
05:06Because especially at that particular moment,
05:09when you saw the spire falling,
05:11I actually felt like the world was losing something important.
05:16Because to me, Notre Dame Cathedral does not just belong to Paris.
05:20Yes, it does, technically.
05:22Or to France.
05:23It belongs to the world.
05:25It's world heritage.
05:26To me, all art is world heritage and should be preserved.
05:29And for me, this is a touchstone of humanity.
05:32And like how somebody said previously,
05:35that it has survived two world wars,
05:38survived the French Revolution,
05:40and the Nazi invasions.
05:42So the fire is very devastating.
05:45But I'm happy that a lot of people have stepped in.
05:47And they're actually making an effort to fix it.
05:50And a lot of money is being donated.
05:52For those people who are in Paris,
05:55it is definitely a symbol for the people there
05:58and for the people around the world.
06:00And I just want to say that in time,
06:02it will be restored to its former glory.
06:04So until that day.