Paris 4 - Montmartre-St Chapelle

On day four we headed to Montmartre. This is an area a bit farther from the center of the city compared to where we had been the previous days. I had been there just once back in the day. I anticipated that it would be an area that had experienced considerable change over the years but, generally speaking, it was less than I anticipated. As you might guess, Montmartre is a hill that affords a beautiful view of Paris. It’s known for its artistic history, for the white-domed Basilica of the Sacré-Cœur and as a nightclub district – the second most popular tourist destination in Paris after the Eiffel Tower.

if you're going to have a snack, it might as well be the best croissant in Paris

Basilica of the Sacré-Cœur

This is a well known and well photographed church, largely due to its prominent location on the top of a hill. It is beautiful but it’s less historic than most of Paris’ other landmarks. In fact it’s recent enough that there are photos of its construction. It was proposed in 1870 after the defeat of France and the capture of Napoleon in the Franco-Prussian War. The bishop attributed the defeat of France to the moral decline of the country since the French Revolution and proposed a new Parisian church dedicated to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. To my knowledge, there aren’t any studies that assist in determining whether or not the basilica contributed to reversing the moral decline but, given the area’s history of cafés, public dancing and cabarets (including Moulin Rouge), I suspect it had no impact.

 

Montmartre

The neighborhood is steeped in history. Near the end of the 19th century and at the beginning of the 20th, during the Belle Époque, many artists lived, worked and/or had studios in or around Montmartre, including Amedeo Modigliani, Claude Monet, Pierre-Auguste Renoir, Edgar Degas, Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, Piet Mondrian, Pablo Picasso, Camille Pissarro and Vincent van Gogh. 

Bal du moulin de la Galette (Renoir) scene of Montmartre

The main square, in addition to being filled with restaurants/cafés, is still teeming with artists (though maybe not of the same ilk). Kinaya made the request to have her portrait done and we obliged. The artists, mostly disheveled, chain-smoking men (that hadn’t changed in the last 30 years), were more than happy to immortalize our daughter on canvas. They guy we chose ended up doing an admirable job, but he was no John Singer Sargent.

So. Yummy.

Montmartre is also the setting for several well-known films: An American in Paris (1951), Moulin Rouge (1952 and again in 2001), Amélie (2001), Beauty and the Beast (2017) and many others. A new movie, John Wick: Chapter 4 (2023) has part of its final fight scene in Montmartre.

In addition to our daughter’s portrait, we nestled in for some typical French fare in one of the square’s restaurants – a charcuterie board loaded with meats and cheeses paired with a Bordeaux. The girls opted on fish and chips.

We ended up dedicating more than a half-day to the visit so we had time for one more stop before heading back to our B&B for tea.

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Sainte-Chapelle

The Sainte-Chapelle is a Gothic royal chapel within the medieval Palais de la Cité, the residence of the Kings of France until the 14th century. It’s located on the Île de la Cité, the central island on the Seine near the Notre Dame. The chapel, built in the 13^th century, was damaged during the French Revolution and restored in the 19th century. It has one of the most extensive 13th-century stained glass collections anywhere in the world. The chapel is stunning and a worthwhile visit.

Picnic on the Seine

One request from the kids was to see the Eiffel Tower by night. The problem was that after a full day of tourism and tired feet, we would need to muster the energy to head back out, knowing that it would involve more walking.  But, tourism often involves stepping up, knowing that you likely won't get the chance anytime soon, if ever.

After having our tea, putting up our feet and resting up, we headed back out. The plan was to grab some food, take it with us and have a picnic on the riverbank with the Tower as a backdrop. First stop was a Turkish take-out place near our B&B. We then hopped on public transportation to get us to the river where, after a short walk, the Eiffel Tower rose above the horizon to the southeast. The riverside walkway was teeming with people walking, sitting in cafes, jogging, cycling, picnicking like we were, etc. As the sun set, the lights on the river and bridges came on. Cafe cruises on the river passed every few minutes. Soon the lights of the Eiffel Tower came on. It was a wonderful setting and well worth it.

Pont Neuf by night