Paris Cafe Bruant: 48°53′8″ N 2°20′7″ E
After a reasonable night’s sleep we were ready to start exploring the Montmartre area of Paris. First on the agenda was some breakfast. There weren’t any Tim Horton’s showing up on Google maps so we “settled for” fantastic coffee & fresh croissants at a sidewalk cafe just a few steps away from our hotel. Sorry Tim’s but we could very quickly get used to this French routine!
We lingered at the cafe for quite a while just enjoying our surroundings & people watching. Also wondering if we looked like locals or like the jet-lagged Anglos that we really are.
Our friends Barb & Bruce we’re staying at a place just a 10 minute walk from our hotel so we set out to rendezvous with them. Bruce is absent in the photo below because he was the photographer!
Our guide books suggested an interesting walking tour of the area so we set out to see the sights.
There are several well preserved windmills in the area that looked somewhat out of place but we learned that they were used to grind gypsum that was quarried throughout the area & used for building.
The architecture in this area is very interesting & attractive. Lots of photo opportunities.
I was also interested to see how much care was taken to blend the water tower into its surroundings.
We stopped at the Musee de Montmartre which had a lot of displays about famous painters Renoir & Suzanne Valadon. She was a model for several famous French painters & an accomplished artist in her own right. The photo below shows a recreation of Suzanne’s studio in the museum which in the house where she actually lived.
Our final objective on the sightseeing tour was the Basilica of the Sacred Heart which was located at the “top” of the mountain. This was opened in 1875 and overlooks Paris. It is beautiful inside – sorry, no photography allowed – & the views of the city were fantastic. It was well worth the climb!
We enjoyed the vista of the city below but unfortunately there was a bit of a haze in the air so it was hard to spot the iconic landmarks like the Eiffel Tower & Arc de Triomphe
By this time we were all running out of steam & ready for a bit of a rest. Thankfully it was mostly downhill back to our to hotels.
Tomorrow (Wednesday) morning we take the train from Paris to Carcassonne!
Cheers!
Beautiful…and looks warm too!
Hi Midge. Yes, it was pretty warm. We’re drinking lots of water through the heat of the day and other refreshing beverages in the evenings 🙂
Loving your photos & commentary.
Hi Anne, it’s great to hear from you! Thanks for following along. We are having a great time. It is very hot here but we are coping well with lots of water & the “occasional” glass of wine :). Cheers!