Sunday at Sacre Coeur Basilica

Our last day in Paris, and I thought we'd head over to Montmartre to visit the Sacre Coeur Basilica and the Place du Tertre. I knew that there were going to be a lot of stairs going up to the Basilica, but I didn't know that the stairs at the Metro station would be killers as well. A warning for anyone going to Abbesses station - there are a lot of stairs. But those were a breeze compared to the climb leading up to the Basilica. There's a lift that takes you straight to the church, but we decided to forego it since we're both young and able.

The view at the top made the climb completely worthwhile even if we were a little sweaty and our quads were on fire. You can see all of Paris, and the view was stunning despite the gloomy weather. An extra bonus was the harpist on the stairs whose playing added to the tranquility of the scenery.

After taking in the view, we made our way into the church. There were a few odd things. One - a soccer player doing tricks with a ball on a mini-trampoline on the stairs leading directly up to the church. It was also a bit odd to be sightseeing since they were conducting services during our visit, and I felt like we were intruding even though it's permitted. I felt even odder when I saw that the church operated a gift shop within its doors - I seem to recall something in the Bible about God not being so happy about that kind of goings on in the church. Anyway, the whole thing felt kind of strange so we headed for the exit right away.

 

Did I mention that J is a wonderful husband? He didn't get a bit upset when we ended up climbing those stairs twice due to a navigational error on my part in trying to get to the Place du Tertre. He just nodded and started heading back up. We finally reached the Place du Tertre, a place where the artists gather to show off their wares, and we looked over some of the art to see if there was anything we'd want to take home. Not so much, but it was a fun atmosphere.

 

After declining many kind offers to have our portraits sketched, we popped into a restaurant and had a semi-digestible meal - typical of a tourist spot, so we weren't too surprised.  At least we had a nice view of the artists and the eager tourists.

After our rather disappointing lunch, we headed to the Metro station while trying to duck the "string men," who try to tie a string around your wrist and generally pester you. There's also a rather hideous street directly south of the stairs that sells horrible touristy clap-trap. Yuck.

Anyway, we hopped back on the Metro to visit the Musee d'Orsay, which is famous for its vast collection of Impressionist paintings. Luckily for us, it was the first Sunday of the month, where many of Paris' museums and monuments are free to visit, including the Musee d'Orsay. Photography isn't permitted within doors, so I had to content myself with just enjoying the wonderful paintings of Van Gogh, Gauguin, Matisse, Manet, Renoir, etc. You get close enough to the paintings that you could probably reach out and touch them - but you probably shouldn't.

 

We stayed until the museum closed, and we crossed the Seine one final time to head to our hotel to pick up our luggage before heading to the Gare du Nord.

My final, random thoughts on Paris:

• I smelled urine more often than I cared to. Even in unexpected places like in the Notre Dame Cathedral.
• It's a lot like London but with even more impressive architecture.
• Almost every restaurant offers a croque monsieur (a hot ham and cheese sandwich).
• Streets are in extremes - they're either very narrow or very broad boulevards.
• People were very nice - we didn't encounter any of the mythical French hauteur. I actually had two restaurant people apologize for their poor English skills.

I'm supposed to return in a few months to visit a friend, so I guess this isn't the last I've seen of Paris...