Michelle à Paris: Day 4 - Montmartre, Tuileries & Sunday on the Seine

This was Sunday. The day prior I had awoken with a scratchy throat and sure enough today, I realized I had caught a cold. This wasn't surprising as my husband was sick before I left and traveling 9+ hours in recycled air simply lends itself to getting sick. The good news is, even though this cold would last throughout the remainder of my trip, it was more of an annoyance vs. anything severe. Yes, it slowed me down a bit but all things considered, if I had to be sick, this was tolerable.

Today I decided to take a Paris Walks tour (http://www.paris-walks.com) which is one of the walking tours recommended by Rick Steves. I chose The Village of Montmartre walk as this was a neighborhood I was fairly unfamiliar with, having only been up to the Sacre Coeur church previously. This was an English speaking walk and there were a total of 7 of us on the tour (6 Americans and 1 Canadian). We met at the Abbesses Metro station which, in my opinion, is one of the most beautiful Metro stations in Paris. The tour brochure said to take the elevator to the top vs. walking as the station was "quite deep." Well, I ignored that and walked up the spiraling staircase anyway. Phew! That was quite deep, a 118 foot walk to the top. However the walls along the spiraling staircase to the top are filled with art so it was worth it.

Abbesses Metro Station

This is also one of the few remaining Art Nouveau Metro entrances in Paris. Our guide on this walk provided a great history of Montmartre, which didn't become part of Paris until 1860. Our tour focused on the many artists that had studios in Montmartre and called the neighborhood home, such as van Gogh, Matisse, Renoir, Degas, Toulouse-Lautrec, Picasso, etc. We also walked by one of the last two remaining windmills on the hill.

Moulin a vent - Montmartre

Our tour also led us through a small vineyard that still produces wine (which apparently, isn't very good and is very overpriced) before climbing the hill towards Sacre Coeur. This was one of the most beautiful streets I encountered in Paris. The photo doesn't do it justice.

Uphill towards Sacre Coeur

What can be said about the Basilica of Sacre Coeur? It's brilliant and to say it was brilliant on this sunny Sunday is an understatement. This Roman Catholic church is the highest point in Paris, construction of which was completed 100 years ago. Our tour guide indicated that the exterior of the basilica has never been cleaned but the colder it is, the whiter it appears.

Sacre Coeur against a blue, blue sky

After the walking tour, lunch and a rest, I headed out for a late afternoon walk to the Tuileries Garden, as well as a walk along the Seine . . . and I had a lot of company! Being that this was the first Sunday of the month, all (or most) of the museums in Paris are free. The Tuileries Garden is right next to the Louvre, arguably one of the greatest art museums in the world so needless to say, the grounds were quite busy. I simply couldn't get over the great luck I was having with the weather. Walking along the Seine, below the traffic above, was lovely and one of my best memories of the trip.