Day 2 - Pere La chaise Cemetery, Montmartre & Sacre de Coeur
Sept 26
Visiting Jim Morrison's Grave
Up early today. Pere Lachaise would open at 8 am and we wanted to be there early so we'll have plenty of time to explore & still make it in time for our 2:30 Montmarte & Sacre Coueur tour. Day was beautiful. Warm but not hot & the sun smiled all the way. Trip was breezy & we found Pere Lachaise without any incident. I read online that there was a small office where we can get maps. Found out that window was closed bacause of "attacks" & everyone has to go through the main entrance. And so we did. At the main entrance however there was still no office still so we took a picture of the map on the billboard instead to find as many graves of famous people as we could. I know it's a little macabre but that's what you do in Pere La chaise. On our list was of course Jim Morisson. And then Chopin, Edith Piaf and many others. It was like going on a mini-adventure trying to find them. A treasure hunt of sorts through the labyrinth that is this place. The graves were beautiful and grand and some, sad. Even here art & architecture thrived. We only found 2 from our list (Jim Morisson & Chopin) but saw many interesting ones and some more that I'm sure belonged to prominent Frenchmen. Before we knew it it was 11 AM, time to head back for some lunch & get ready for the afternoon.
We stopped by a fruit market to get some ingredients & home we went. Good thing we stayed at a well -equipped little apartment that had everything we needed. Lunch was delicious! Pasta with tuna & olives in olive oil, and the sweetest seedless watermelons for dessert. Out on the street that would have cost us € 20 per person. Cleo cooked & I washed. That's kind of our rule. One cooks & the other washes.
The Basilica and The Red Light District
After lunch we headed out to the Blanch station for our Montmartre tour. We found ourselves on a street called Pigalle w/c is what I assume is their red light district as evidenced by an array of sex shops, an erotic museum and cabarets that offer lap dances, live shows & all that stuff. They were side by side with sauna & massage parlors, souvenir shops, pharmacies, restaurants, etc. Pretty interesting place. The most iconic spot however is the Molin Rougue. Couldn't miss it if we tried. The red windmill at the facade says it all. 2 of my favorite entertainers of all time actually performed here, Frank Sinatra & Ella Fitzgerald. Would love to watch a show here that people say is a real spectacle but at € 87a pop, would have to reconsider 1st. Anyway we have a few more nights.
So the tour started & it was a very nice way to get to know our neighborhood. Yes, our apartment is right smack in Montmartre! Our guide was a pretty 19-year old French student, Lily. She took us through the old windmills, avenues & boulevards of cafes serving the most mouth-watering offerings from all over France. Wine, cheese, chocolates, snails, duck wow! We saw parts of Montmartre we would never have discovered had we done this on our own. A vineyard right in the city (who would've thought!), Pablo Picasso's haunt as a starving artist, Amelie's restaurant & market & saw a lot of beautiful, haunting street art. We walked through residences of turn of the century poets & artists & modern day Montmarte. It was a lot to take in. It was a lot of walking & climbing too and my legs hurt but they didn't complain. They were in fact very, very happy exploring with me .
We ended the tour at what is supposed to be one of the best places to admire the Sacre Coeur from, the back. And I heartfully agree. She was awe-inspiring, graceful, imposing, grand and proud.
We found our way to the front & saw a beautiful view of Paris. No words. And then it was time to go inside the the basilica. Oh the suspense! Been waiting for this for months so naturally I was like a giddy little girl. Wouldn't be surprised if I were skipping. It was grand beyond grand! No pictures allowed whatsoever. So I'll leave you, dear reader, to experience her for yourself.
After going around we took a moment to pray. It was nice to have had a moment of silence inside to connect with the One who allowed all of this to happen. Said a special prayer & then off again we went!
More walking again in the cobbled streets of Montmartre. We found ourselves in a very busy but pretty & colorful square lined with cafes, patisseries, shops, art galleries & artists galore trying to convince you to have your portrait painted for €25. It was dizzying but what a great experience!
We took a bus back down to Rue Yvonne Le Tac (our street) this afternoon bone tired but super satisfied with our beautiful 2nd day in Paris.
Sept 26
Visiting Jim Morrison's Grave
Up early today. Pere Lachaise would open at 8 am and we wanted to be there early so we'll have plenty of time to explore & still make it in time for our 2:30 Montmarte & Sacre Coueur tour. Day was beautiful. Warm but not hot & the sun smiled all the way. Trip was breezy & we found Pere Lachaise without any incident. I read online that there was a small office where we can get maps. Found out that window was closed bacause of "attacks" & everyone has to go through the main entrance. And so we did. At the main entrance however there was still no office still so we took a picture of the map on the billboard instead to find as many graves of famous people as we could. I know it's a little macabre but that's what you do in Pere La chaise. On our list was of course Jim Morisson. And then Chopin, Edith Piaf and many others. It was like going on a mini-adventure trying to find them. A treasure hunt of sorts through the labyrinth that is this place. The graves were beautiful and grand and some, sad. Even here art & architecture thrived. We only found 2 from our list (Jim Morisson & Chopin) but saw many interesting ones and some more that I'm sure belonged to prominent Frenchmen. Before we knew it it was 11 AM, time to head back for some lunch & get ready for the afternoon.
We stopped by a fruit market to get some ingredients & home we went. Good thing we stayed at a well -equipped little apartment that had everything we needed. Lunch was delicious! Pasta with tuna & olives in olive oil, and the sweetest seedless watermelons for dessert. Out on the street that would have cost us € 20 per person. Cleo cooked & I washed. That's kind of our rule. One cooks & the other washes.
The Basilica and The Red Light District
After lunch we headed out to the Blanch station for our Montmartre tour. We found ourselves on a street called Pigalle w/c is what I assume is their red light district as evidenced by an array of sex shops, an erotic museum and cabarets that offer lap dances, live shows & all that stuff. They were side by side with sauna & massage parlors, souvenir shops, pharmacies, restaurants, etc. Pretty interesting place. The most iconic spot however is the Molin Rougue. Couldn't miss it if we tried. The red windmill at the facade says it all. 2 of my favorite entertainers of all time actually performed here, Frank Sinatra & Ella Fitzgerald. Would love to watch a show here that people say is a real spectacle but at € 87a pop, would have to reconsider 1st. Anyway we have a few more nights.
So the tour started & it was a very nice way to get to know our neighborhood. Yes, our apartment is right smack in Montmartre! Our guide was a pretty 19-year old French student, Lily. She took us through the old windmills, avenues & boulevards of cafes serving the most mouth-watering offerings from all over France. Wine, cheese, chocolates, snails, duck wow! We saw parts of Montmartre we would never have discovered had we done this on our own. A vineyard right in the city (who would've thought!), Pablo Picasso's haunt as a starving artist, Amelie's restaurant & market & saw a lot of beautiful, haunting street art. We walked through residences of turn of the century poets & artists & modern day Montmarte. It was a lot to take in. It was a lot of walking & climbing too and my legs hurt but they didn't complain. They were in fact very, very happy exploring with me .
We ended the tour at what is supposed to be one of the best places to admire the Sacre Coeur from, the back. And I heartfully agree. She was awe-inspiring, graceful, imposing, grand and proud.
We found our way to the front & saw a beautiful view of Paris. No words. And then it was time to go inside the the basilica. Oh the suspense! Been waiting for this for months so naturally I was like a giddy little girl. Wouldn't be surprised if I were skipping. It was grand beyond grand! No pictures allowed whatsoever. So I'll leave you, dear reader, to experience her for yourself.
After going around we took a moment to pray. It was nice to have had a moment of silence inside to connect with the One who allowed all of this to happen. Said a special prayer & then off again we went!
More walking again in the cobbled streets of Montmartre. We found ourselves in a very busy but pretty & colorful square lined with cafes, patisseries, shops, art galleries & artists galore trying to convince you to have your portrait painted for €25. It was dizzying but what a great experience!
We took a bus back down to Rue Yvonne Le Tac (our street) this afternoon bone tired but super satisfied with our beautiful 2nd day in Paris.
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