Day 2: Youth Choir takes stage at Notre Dame

The voices of the Yuma Youth Choir rang throughout their most famous - and oldest - venue to date on the group's second day in Paris.

That's when the choir graced the main altar of Paris' beloved Notre Dame Cathedral, charming a sizable crowd of curious tourists and local faithful alike.

Performing at the world-famous church of 800 years marked the clear crowning moment and most anticipated concert on the choir's three-nation performance tour. Afterward, for the first time since taking off from Yuma, numerous singers admitted that they finally felt more than a little nervous and awestruck by standing admit the grand cathedral's glory of stone and stained glass.

To protect the sacred nature of the mass, tourists just wanting to look around were roped off from the altar area and the sanctuary pews. But even from a distance many tourists stopped to listen as the choir's voices filled the centuries-old stone walls.

Providing the background during the choir's performance was the main altar, made even more famous by being the place where Napoleon crowned himself emperor of France.

The choir's performance began after the event coordinator, without actually introducing the group, released into a sound system a loud and breathy "SHHHHH!" that rang through the building.

Performing at Notre Dame doesn't come easily. Choirs wanting to grace the landmark's altar must first submit a great deal of information, plus numerous recordings to be scrutinized.

The choir sang without accompaniment and shared, in accordance with the cathedral's strict rules, only sacred music.

The choir and all us in its entourage were so pleased to see that we weren't the only ones sneaking up front for photos of the kids. Many tourists attending the mass also took time to get just the right shot of the choir.

The choir was delighted to see that its small horde of fans contained a familiar face. It was Steve, a fellow who had heard the choir perform a few songs at the airport in Dallas. He had walked up and asked how he might find the choir again once we were all in Paris. Steve not only kept his word but he even filmed the Notre Dame performance on some pretty fancy equipment, plus he is planning to catch the choir at its next concert, fitting the kids in before attending another concert - Bruce Springsteen.

Enjoy several interesting facts about Notre Dame from our charming tour guide Christine:

- The 800-year-old church took 200 years to build.

- The stained glass of its famous rose windows are designed to perfectly capture the light of each sunrise and sunset, filing the church with majestic colors.

- The building comfortably seats 5,000 faithful for mass.

- The gargoyles that perch along the cathedral's walls and roof tops are among the most famous in the world.

- The church is the setting for the popular story "The Hunchback of Notre Dame."

- When the pope wasn't fast enough to arrive at Notre Dame, Napoleon went Notre Dame and crowned himself king.

- Inside its archive of treasures Notre Dame holds what believers claim to be Jesus Christ's crown of thorns, bought by a French king during the crusades. Once a month the Bishop of Paris brings the crown out of its special storage so that it may be worshiped for one hour.

After Notre Dame the choir performed at a school near the Seine River, along the Left Bank. Kids packing a gym clapped and swayed along with the music as they were treated to some great Broadway numbers.

Afterward the choir visited the tomb of Napoleon, a fantastic gold-domed temple bearing a sarcophagus the size of a truck. The tomb is viewed by looking down into a huge circle opening in the building's floor. Below lies the elegant tomb, with 12 tall and mighty statues of angels standing guard.

Folks were anxious to hurry through our supper at yet another fabulous restaurant because many of the adults spent their evening at a very famous and infamous place, perhaps this city's best-known club. They headed off to the one and only Moulin Rouge, which has been made exceptionally well known in the U.S. thanks to a movie a few years back.

The people who went to the show Thursday night were all abuzz about the Moulin Rouge at breakfast the next morning. Sure, there were topless dancers, but the extravagant theatrical experience also boasted comedians, puppeteers and magicians.

The show wasn't on the trip's agenda and wasn't an official outing, but instead came about after friends started chatting about the idea and more people decided to tag along. Choir members, meanwhile, were

One of the adults traveling with the choir, a woman named Lupe, raved about her special evening.

"I would recommend that show to anybody. If you can go and have the money you really need to have this experience," Lupe said at breakfast. "You haven't come to Paris if you haven't gone to the Moulin Rouge."

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