I have difficulty in coming up with the appropriate adjective to describe it. This space is deliberately left for you to add your own.
Today we put the public transport system to the test to deliver us to the Pigalle, and bus 67 did it admirably. It was from here that we set off to find the Funiculaire Railway to take us up to visit the Basilique du Sacré-Cœur and the Village of Montmartre.
A popular landmark and one of the must sees, the Basilica is located at the summit of the Butte Montmartre, the highest point in the city and is a relatively new addition to the landscape having been commenced in 1875 and finished in 1914. It was consecrated after the end of World War 1 in 1919.
With the Basilica built on Butte Montmartre, it is a mere stroll from visiting it to the Village of Montmartre, the artist haven. Many artists had studios or worked around the community of Montmartre and names such as Salvador Dali, Claude Monet, Pablo Picasso and Vincent van Gogh come to mind.
The area of Montmartre, including Pigalle, has had a colourful history which is best covered elsewhere but it is suffice to say that it was the site of bohemian activity and still is the home of the Moulin Rouge.
Montmartre also contains the Place du Tertre,where today it is known for the artists who paint tourists for pleasure (and also money) - their work that we saw today was pretty impressive as was the work of the other artists who were demonstrating their skills and selling their works.
After lunch we caught the 67 bus back to reality but stayed on it past our stop and used it as our tour bus for the afternoon through some backstreets which we had previously walked and some we hadn't. But it took us through Ile St-Louis and southern parts of Paris that weren't on our list to visit such as Place d'Italie and other areas we hadn't heard of. These are the sort of adventures we like. We stayed on board after it terminated and took the return journey via a different route. We were on board for probably an hour and a half and disembarked about 20 meters from our front door. We then did a bit more exploring around the apartment but in the opposite direction and found a few more gems.
What a great day!!
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| Steps up to the Basilica. We took the Funiculaire |
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| Basilique du Sacré-Cœur |
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| Montmartre artists' work on display |
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| Montmartre souvenir shop |
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| Artists at work in the shadow of the Basilica |
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| Artists at work in the Place du Tertre |
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| Ann is all smiles in the "Georges Larnicol" sweet shop just down the road from our apartment |
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