July 30, 2007

Montmartre and Sacré-Cœur

On Monday, we decided to go to Sacré-Cœur. It is on the Montmartre hill and is a basilica famous for its white marble. We found out that the reason it is so white is that it is a special marble that bleaches itself when it rains.

Sacré-Cœur

We could have walked up the steps to Sacré-Cœur, but fortunately our metro passes cover the Montmartre funicular. The kids definitely preferred the funicular over climbing hundreds of steps.

Watching the funicular

From the top, there is a beautiful view of Paris.

View from Sacré-Cœur (panorama)

After visiting the church, we walked around the narrow streets of Montmartre. There is a square filled with artists and restaurants. We bought sandwiches and had a wonderful lunch in a small park near Sacré-Cœur.

After lunch we took a ride on the Montmartre train, a little tourist train on wheels that took us by the sights of Montmartre.

Montmartre Train

During the trip, we saw one of the two vineyards of Paris as well as the infamous Pigalle district. The Moulin Rouge is one of the sights there. We were glad the train passed quickly through this area, as it is not one we wanted to visit in any detail.

Moulin Rouge

The train brought us back near the church and we took a few more pictures of Sacré-Cœur.

In front of Sacré-Cœur

In this panorama, you can see the two statues at the entrance of Sacré-Cœur,
Joan of Arc and St. Louis.

Sacré-Cœur up close (panorama)

On the way home, we stopped in a souvenir shop and got the kids Eiffel Tower T-shirts. Brooke also got a purse with an Eiffel Tower on the side.

Souvenir T-shirts

Posted by sjbowden at July 30, 2007 10:13 PM