HKHS Group Toured Notre Dame Less than Two Hours Before the Fire

Three Haddam Killingworth High School students and two of their teacher chaperones met with me Wednesday, May 1, 2019 to reflect upon their recent trip to France during the April school break. The group departed for Paris on April 14th and returned on April 22nd. All three students, Jordan O’Linn, Greg Lynskey, and Fisher Harris, are from Killingworth. Foreign language teachers Corey Borzain and Christine Kehrley were chaperones. A total of eighteen HK students and three chaperones made the trip. The HK contingent was paired with a high school group from Chicago in their tour group.

Most notably, the HK group happened to tour the cathedral of Notre Dame, one of Europe’s most popular tourist attractions, on the very day that it caught fire–April 15th; in fact, the group visited Notre Dame less than two hours before the fire was discovered! The students said that since it was Holy Week the site was especially crowded. They had to wait in a line outside the cathedral for about twenty minutes before entering and then spent about forty minutes inside. Fisher Harris described the visit as “a powerful experience.” All agreed that they were awestruck by the beauty of Notre Dame, particularly the stained glass windows.

Interestingly, the group noted that while they were inside Notre Dame, the lights in the interior of the cathedral flickered all of the time. Jordan mentioned that while she was lighting a candle, the lights went off briefly. It is interesting to speculate whether the flickering lights may have been indicative of an electrical problem that could have led to the fire, as investigators seem to think that the most likely cause of the conflagration was a problem with the cathedral’s electrical system.

Besides visiting Notre Dame, the HK students also spent time in Normandy, visiting the World War II museum at Caen, Pointe du Hoc, Omaha Beach, and the American cemetery at Colleville sur Mer. Both Greg and Fisher noted that visiting the American cemetery was among their most memorable experiences. Greg remembers overhearing another visitor at the cemetery say, “Where’s Grandpa buried?” 9,386 American soldiers are buried at Colleville sur Mer. All of the graves face to the West toward America. The beauty of the cemetery mixed with the sadness of the reality of so much sacrifice made visiting that site an unforgettable experience.

The group also visited the Chartres Cathedral, the Arc de Triomphe, Napoleon’s grave, the palace at Versailles, Mont Saint Michel, and the Eiffel Tower, which Jordan indicated was most memorable to her. Among Greg’s most memorable experiences on the trip was the group’s visit to Amboise Castle and the site of Leonardo da Vinci’s grave. All agreed that their week in France was unforgettable.