If there is something that we have been appreciating these last couple of days, it’s that we had the chance to see the beautiful Notre Dame before the terrible fire. And then, we hear about the tragedy in Sri Lanka and suddenly Notre Dame does not seem like a big deal anymore. What is happening to the world? Where will this end?

Don’t wait to explore

At first, this week “thoughts from the road” were supposed to be about Notre Dame and how happy we were that we got to see it. I would be ranting on about how you never know what’s coming your way and that you should travel as soon as possible and explore the world. But today, it does not seem like a burned down church is as important as what happened in Sri Lanka.

At least 290 people have lost their lives when suicide bombers decided to blow themselves into pieces. It is terrible and there are no words that can describe how sorry we are for all the people that in some way are affected by this.

We need to continue to travel

Spreading fear must be one thing that “they” want to do. And it works! We have heard a lot of people that don’t travel abroad now due to everything that is happening. And at the same time – it happened in Sweden too. A guy drove a truck right into a street and killed a bunch of people last year. It feels like there is no way to protect yourself from the evil that is out there.

I talked to my brother in law and he told me that recently he has begun to think about terror attacks while they travel or find themselves in crowded places. When he said that I responded that I never thought about it. Now – that’s not true anymore. I know when I thought about it the first time and that made me feel really uncomfortable.

Las Palmas carnival – a crowded place

We were standing in Las Palmas, Gran Canaria and waiting for the carnival to start. Mini went to buy us something to eat and I was holding our spots. I was looking out over the crowd that was there and suddenly I started to feel uncomfortable. At fist I didn’t know why, but after a while I caught myself thinking “what happens if someone detonates a bomb or if there comes a car that drives right into the crowd”. 

Luckily, I dropped those thoughts quickly and we could enjoy the festivities. You can’t protect yourself from idiots! If you stay at home, they win! So don’t let them win! Make sure that you continue to travel and to explore.

Facts about Notre Dame – Things you might not know

So, like I mentioned before, this post was supposed to be about the tragedy of Notre Dame. While doing my research, I came across some facts that we still would like to share with you so here you go…

• The first stone for Notre Dame was laid in 1163.
• Construction of making the cathedral took over a century to built.
• Before the cathedral was but, there was a pagan temple on the grounds.
• The cathedral is visited by 13 000 000 people each year – that’s more than any other monuments in Europe.
• During the French revolution in 1790s the cathedral was ransacked and almost destroyed.
• It was saved by Napoleon Bonaparte (thank you Napoleon).
• Notre Dame was neglected until Victor Hugo wrote the novel “The Hunchback of Notre Dame” in 1831.
• In 1844 restoration work started and new details were added, like the central spire.