UK & Europe '24 Day 21 - Sacre Coeur and Montmartre

We started today with a pretty relaxed vibe this morning. Nothing was pre-booked, so there was no rush and we decided to meander towards the main street in Bastille to have some breakfast before a spot of shopping. We needed to shop for another bag because although we're OK with weight, we're short on space. Problem solved with a new duffel bag so we can pack it in on future trips (for which we pack even lighter) and not have to worry about space. It was about 11am before we set off for today's destination: Sacre Coeur.

I sil vous plait'd my way quite nicely through a request for two return tickets to Sacre Couer, until I realised I didn't because I only ended up with two tickets, but the good natured station attendant explained Paris has an odd system where they issue one ticket to and one back, so a return trip means you get handed two tickets. Glad we sorted that one out! We hopped on the metro and swapped trains fours stops on to go fours stops again to Chateau Rouge. Mon dieu. It was like stepping out into the 1am danger zone outside Moulin Rouge, but in broad daylight. The streets were crowded, and this felt like a very impoverished area. There was evidence of drug use in the streets and an air of "we should have written those wills". Nonetheless, we stopped off at Cafe Clare de Lune, had a coffee, then continued our journey up the road and around the corner to be met with a very long staircase.

Sacre Coeur is located to the North of Paris a the top of a very big hill (staircase). We huffed and we puffed, but we didn't blow our foofer valves and ended up with an eye full of Basilica. What a grand old structure this is, towering way above Mont Martre Hill. You may not be aware, but neither Chris nor myself are religious. We do, however, appreciate the beauty of structures like this with its Neo-Byzantine-Romanesque design featuring domes, turrets and arched windows.

The Basilica took forty year to build and was consecrated in 1919 after the first world war, dedicated to the sacred heart of Jesus, who welcomes you with open arms from the ceiling as you enter (it's a painting of Jesus, not the man himself). I remember the frustration of making a mosaic picture in hight school and the detail was nowhere near as intricate or as large as those in the Basilica. The work that has gone into the detail of this building is mind boggling. Walking through this great church, you pass many small chapels each with their own theme. Some have mosaics, other s have statues, paintings or stained glass windows. Respectfully, and at the request of the operators, everyone walks through in (mostly) silence, out of respect for the space and those who are attending to commune.

After we stepped out of the Basilica, we returned to street level and wandered around to Montmartre, which is an old village with cobble stone streets and a slew of souvenir shops. Beyond those shops is Artist's Square, where local artists work from their small consigned spaces near the cafes and restaurants. We found a piece we liked and bought it directly from the artist, which is something we like to do if we can. A nice lunch was had before our descent on the other side of the hill to land in a much safer area to catch the metro back. 

We packed our bags, checked in to our flights and sat on the grass in the local park for an hour with some light refreshments. 

The refreshments included some heavenly macarons we bought in Montmartre. Melt in the mouth flavours if passionfruit, rhubarb, coffee and rose, and the park was a relaxing way to spend our last evening amongst the locals in their park, on the lawn with the sound of nearby fountains gushing away. Paris is a city of paradoxes, and while it takes time to relax and appreciate the different shades and tones of the city, it's easy to see why people fall in love with it.

We've got a full day left to explore before our departure tomorrow night, so will scout around for something interesting after we drop our bags off at the station lockers. Before long, we'll be enjoying winter nights with our winter cats, if they remember who we are!