Paris: The Birthday Trip - Day 5 (part 1)

Wednesday, July 31, 2013

A quick breakfast and then off to the Metro to catch the No. 12 to Montmartre and Sacré-Cœur. We shared the Basilica with a few other early arrivals and managed to get a good look around. By the time we left, however, we were surrounded by crowds of people like us - tourists - many of whom were, unlike us, ignoring the ban on photography.

We took a stroll around the exterior looking at details not usually available from tourist pamphlets or even art books. The exterior gives a better idea of the complexity of the structure of the building than you can get from the necessarily limited tourist access inside.

I was surprised to find that many of the gargoyles of Sacré-Cœur are more easily seen than those of Notre-Dame and are, as I recall, much fiercer (see photo above).

Right next to Sacré-Cœur is a much older if less spectacular church. Saint-Pierre de Montmartre seems to receive far fewer visitors than Sacré-Cœur despite its longer and more interesting history. Rather than ramble on here, I'd recommend wikipedia if you're interested.

We were ready for a break at this point and went to the souvenir/snack/coffee shop next to the steps and funicular stop. We sat and watched (extremely fit) people who ignored the funicular and ran laps on the stairs , we watched the police swoop in on a group of gypsy kids selling who knows what, chastened looking kids fleeing after their warning only to be replaced, I'm sure, by another band soon after, and of course there was the endless parade of tourists of all shapes and sizes and nationalities and sense of fashion and appropriate dress.

Next we walked up to the Place du Tertre, the old village square, beside the Basilica: Souvenir shops, cafes, some artists displaying their work while others strolled among the shoppers offering quick portraits. Later, we sat at a table outside one of the cafes and watched as taxis, trucks, and private cars tried to make their way through this mêlée and along the extremely narrow streets. Very entertaining.

From there we set out for the Cimetière de Montmartre (the famous cemetery). Denise was looking forward to the steep, very steep, winding cobblestone streets. Me not so much, but I must say Montmartre is a very interesting area and very much a neighbourhood. Not as elegant as some areas of Paris, perhaps, but intriguing nonetheless.

We finally had to ask for directions which were cheerfully given by a couple of locals. There was much laughter over everyone's half-english half-french efforts and we were soon on our way. Photos in the next post.

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