A father and daughter from Steinbach were in Paris Wednesday, two days after the devastating fire at the Notre Dame cathedral.

Adam and Meghan Penner are touring Europe and had plans on visiting the cathedral while in Paris. But, then they learned of the fire. Penner says it was sad to hear the news and he contemplated changing their plans. In the end, they chose to still go and be part of history.

Penner says they closed the bridges and blocked off the island area and so the closest they could get was across the river, about 500 feet away. From there, they stood with thousands of others; a mixture of locals and tourists. He says the throngs of people were silent as they stared and took pictures of the wounded cathedral.

"I think it's subdued," he describes. "I think they are kind of paying respect."

Penner says there was a high police presence in the area and even firefighters. He adds there was still the smell of smoke in the air. Though, he admits, from certain angles the damage didn't look as devastating.

"The windows are burnt out or black," he says. "Some parts are kind of stained black a little bit. There's a lot of scaffolding in the middle that looks like it's been warped by heat."

Penner says being in Paris, you sense the importance of the cathedral to the locals.

"There's something special about this building," he says. "It's obviously a historic landmark and a tonne of history."