Emmanuel the Bell

The largest bell in the Cathedral of Notre Dame is Emmanuel, who weighs 28000 pounds and whose riggings required 8 men to ring (its all done electronically now). Its kinda fun to get up to the bell tower to meet him as well, you sort of have to shimmy your way up a scary and steep staircase, and fight off the moans and groans of the bell guard who obviously hates his job with a passion. "Don't touch it!!". Just the little dinger thingy (clapper) alone weighs 1100 pounds. That's quite a bit. I'd hate to have had to be the one to haul this thing up the stairs. There are all sorts of legends about the bell, and every website I go to says they're true or not true and on and on, but I'm just gonna say they're true because I like it that way. Legend has it that when the bell was cast in 1631 the local religious zealots threw their gold and jewelry into the pot, thus giving the bell a unique F-sharp tone. Everybody knows that golden bells give F-sharp knells. Also, it has been said that the Revolutionists ordered the melting of the bells for the valuable metal, but everyone refused to do so, saving them for our pictures. Also, I figured that I ought to add this picture I snagged of Sara atop the cathedral because I think she's really prettilicious all on the steps like that. I'm such a lucky guy.