Paris Day 1 - Montmatre & Sacre-Couer

Of the many beautiful neighborhoods of Paris, one neighborhood that I really do not want to miss is Montmatre. Located in the 18th arrondissement, it was once a neighborhood where artists, writers, and poets lived side to side making it a trendy neighborhood to stroll on and about even until today. Not only trendy, Montmatre also holds one of the landmarks of the City of Lights. That being the basilica of Sacre-Couer, a moral monument when things were bad back in the days.  

 

I started my wandering from Moulin Rouge point at Boulevard de Clichy, walking towards the hilly cobbled street of Rue Lepic.  

The area offers a variety of restaurants that tempts my degustation instinct. I know I am a bit of a sweet tooth, so no wonder suddenly that sugary rush suddenly erupted after a few walks. From cakes, pies to macaroons, my option is bountiful. So, I picked one of the items below. Do you wanna know which one? *wink* 

 

I did not worry about my calories intake that day. I knew strolling up and down Rue Lepic will surely burned some chilling-fat that day. Well, at least that's what I actually experienced. It was still a very enjoyable walk though. Hence, that hand raise below, lol!

 

Getting closer to the Sacre-Couer basilica, I was greeted by the line of local paintings displayed on the street. Not only that, I found cute vintage post-cards at Galerie Butte Montmatre (picture below) and some street art on a wall (picture below). They also conjured the wall up (picture below) into a mini gallery - how nice!

 

 

 And some more paintings....

Finally, I arrived in front of the basilica of Sacre-Couer and isn't she looks magnificent and beautiful... 

Sit at the top of Butte Montmatre, Sacre-Couer is one of the iconic landmarks in Paris. Not only it is rich with historical values with jaw-dropping architecture, but it also offers a breathtaking view one can have overlooking the City of Lights. Even in winter season, its beauty still radiantly outshine the notorious weather.

 

Of course, that made us did not think twice to strike a pose. 

We, then, spend hours and hours wandering the inside of this magnificent place and it cannot stop to tinge us in awe.  

We finished our exploration just before the day turned into a complete darkness. We thought we still had time to visit the Eiffel Tower but apparently we did not. However, we were happy enough to see this little Eiffel Tower below. *Grind from ear to ear*

We took the inclinator lift to go down back to where we started and continued our journey to have a little something for supper.

 

A few tips when you are in the area of Sacre-Couer:

 

• There is no lavatory or toilet inside the basilica, you have to go down towards the stairs.
• There are so many street vendors and tourists around, so watch for your belongings.
• Do not go there when the sun is close to set because you won't get the breathtaking view I was talking about.
• Come there in the morning when there are not that many people around. That way you can enjoy the church and its surroundings way more intimate.