When you're traveling to a new place, it's typical to visit the landmarks most favored by tourists. You wouldn't go to New York City without checking out the Empire State Building or the Statue of Liberty. You wouldn't travel to Italy and skip the Coliseum or the Leaning Tower of Pisa. If you're visiting France, Notre Dame Cathedral is almost certainly on your list of sites to see. Sadly, the historic cathedral suffered some serious damage in a fire earlier this week.
A woman who visited the site just an hour before the fire broke out made sure to take some pictures of the historic cathedral. In one shot, she captured what seemed to be a father and daughter playing together. Brooke Windsor considered sharing the photo with the man but decided not to. The events that took place just shortly after changed her mind. She took to Twitter to try to find the pair in the photo so she could share the special photograph with them.
Notre Dame is one of France's biggest tourist attractions. Millions of people visit the historic cathedral every year.
The majesty and rich history of Notre Dame is what draws so many to it. It's also why so many people felt emotional when they heard the news of the fire that ravaged the building on Monday.
The fire destroyed the cathedral's roof. It also caused its iconic spire to collapse.
Parisians and tourists alike took to the streets to watch as firefighters fought to save the building. It took 15 hours for the fire to be fully extinguished.
It's hard to imagine how emotional it must have been to watch hundreds of years of history in danger of vanishing. For one woman, it was jarring for a different reason.
Brooke Windsor is a 23-year-old tourist who visited the cathedral just an hour before the fire started. While there, she took pictures of the magnificent building.
In Brooke's photo, she captured what appeared to be a father and daughter playing in front of the building. No one could have guessed the cathedral would be engulfed in flames an hour later.
Brooke had considered showing the man the photo, but she ultimately decided against it. After the fire, she knew she had to at least try to get the photo to the man.
Brooke enlisted the help of Twitter to try to find the pair. She encouraged others to share the photo in hopes that it would reach the man.
So far, the photo has been shared over 200,000 times. They still have yet to find the man and child captured in it.
Many people applauded Brooke for trying to find the two. They're hoping for a feel-good moment in this otherwise heavy situation.
The photo would surely be a beautiful memory for the two. It's sad that the moment has gained historical significance in such a way, however.
Thankfully, the Notre Dame fire didn't result in any casualties. French President Emmanuel Macron is determined to rebuild the areas of the cathedral that were destroyed.
Brooke's photo is a reminder to live fully and enjoy life. We too often don't appreciate the majesty of the things around us until they are gone.
