Exploring the Neighborhood: Montmartre (Day 2)

The Walk Up the Hill

We decided to walk up the hill to the Sacre Coeur as a family. Being only a 30 min walk, it was very doable (albeit a very hot day!). There are two ways tourists can take up the summit, the "fast way" up a series of a flight of stairs or switching back and forth throughout the streets until arriving at the church. Although the stairs are convenient and quicker, taking one's time through the winding streets offers the finding of many hidden gems and Parisian history, not to mention the views are spectacular!

The first gem we found was a windmill with the name "Moulin de la Galette" in front of it, but of course it's not just any windmill! For starters, there are only two windmills that can be found in Paris today, Le Moulin Blute-Fin (also known as "Moulin de la Galette" and the "Debray Family Windmill") and the Moulin du Radet, and they are both located in Montmartre.

The one we saw was Blute-Fin, the only functioning windmill in Paris and it was constructed in 1622 (unfortunately, it's privately owned not open to the public). It was also the painting subject of many famous painters such as Renior, Van Gogh, Toulouse-Lautrec, and more. Today both windmills are traditional Parisian restaurants. A meal at Moulin de la Galette is fairly expensive, and reservations recommended. Needless to say, we decided to skip the meal.

While taking pictures of the windmills, hubby and I accidentally got separated amongst the other tourists. Amidst this separation however (we were ending up at the same place, so I wasn't too worried), I found a few more gems (and invaders!) along the way.

Pablo Picasso's first apartment in Paris

Le Consulat Restaurant and Cafe, providing Parisian foods for over 200 years!

The market as seen in the movie Amelie (and yes, they make it known they're famous)

Finally, Arrival of Basilique du Sacre-Coeur

A few minutes away from Le Consulate, we finally arrived at the Basilique du Sacre-Coeur and the family was reunited. Admittingly it did take a bit to find each other, because the church is huge! In the meantime, both hubby and I independently took photos of our surroundings which is so incredibly photogenic. Surrounding the church were a sea of tourists, models, photographers, people praying, musicians, artists, and more.

Baby G loved playing on the gates of the church!

As mentioned, Sacre-Coeur is big! Its construction started in 1875 and was completed in 1914, and went through five architects. There was much controversy surrounding the church's initial construction, and there are still those (like the previous Prime Minister of France) who call for its demolition. In any case, it's located on the summit of the butte of Montmartre, and provides an excellent view of Paris. Unfortunately, photos are not permitted to be taken within the church. This would also be a good time to mention the hidden gem located behind the church, a children's park called Parque de la Turlure with a magnificent play structure for kids, amongst other interactive playground equipment. Children or not, however, the park is lovely and can enjoyed by all who stroll through.

In regard to pictures, there are so many camera angles one can take of this church, but to get up close offers a treat that a far away camera shot wouldn't do justice. For starters, the church (dare I say castle!?) has gargoyles along the corners (see slideshow below), with no two gargoyles being the same. Another observation, a theme I've noticed consistently throughout Paris, is the statue that sits at the top of one of the church chambers: A statue of the archangel Michelangelo piercing a dragon through the heart, symbolizing the defeat of evil and casting it down away from heaven (in other artworks it's the devil, serpent, or some other depiction of evil).

Top of the Summit. I'd choose this spot to see all of Paris over the Eiffel Tower any day!

Near the Sacre-Coeur is also the best view in Paris. It's a little crowded yes (although this depends on the time of day and year), but it's far less crowded than the Eiffle Tower. This spectacular view can be seen in front of the church right before going down the famous "300 steps". This is also where one can take a great "postcard picture" of the front of the church. Fun fact, the steps lead to an open space that used to be a quarry.

Once we finished taking pictures, we enjoyed the gardens located at the bottom of the steps. Here they had a few souvenir shops, small bite restaurants and creperies, another park and play structure, and lastly a cute 2-tier carousel! We just couldn't resist, so we took Baby G on the carousel and her first horsey ride as a family.

Baby G's first Horse ride!

Le mur des je t'aime (The "I Love You" Wall)

On the way back down the hill, we stopped by Le Mur Des Je T'aime, or the "I Love You" Wall that features the phrase "I love you" in 250 languages across a 40m² wall.

This wall was extremely busy with tourists all over it, we had to wait for a pause in pictures to sneak our way through the crowd with our camera. Luckily, the mural is right next to a park with a play structure for children, so Baby G got a chance to run around while waiting for the next photo opportunity. Operation Take Epic Mom & Baby Pic was a success (see slideshow)