Sacré Coeur Basilica in Montmartre

The 18^th Arrondissement is a fascinating paradox of a neighborhood.  It includes the riches of Montmartre and the poverty of the Goutte d’Or, all within 2.5 square miles.   It also hosts the famous Moulin Rouge in the Pigalle district.  There are artifacts of Gallo-Roman occupation here dating as early as the 2^nd Century.  

One of the most iconic Paris landmarks is in this district: the Basilica of Sacré Coeur.  Our evening randonnée will take us in a circular route around Montmartre, spiraling in to the Basilica, then back out again.  A total of around 4km, with little elevation change, despite the stairs of the Basilica.

We take Rue des Poissonniers to Rue Poulet to Rue Clingancourt to Rue Muller to Rue Charles Nodier, which runs along the East side of Basilica grounds.  In honor of the online game I've been playing with my friend's daughter, see if you can find Waldo in the following photo.

Here, instead of climbing the steep stairs to go directly to the Basilica and arriving at its rear, my friend takes us down the stairs and around the  perimeter of the grounds on Rue Ronsard to Rue Tardieu, so that the full glory of Sacré Coeur appears suddenly on our right.  A very effective and dramatic way to introduce guests to the Basilica.

Of course, there is the requisite carousel at the bottom of the steps.  There seems to be a carousel at every major attraction area. This one is quite nice, and has two levels.

People sit on the steps of the Basilica, eating picnics and enjoying the view.  The view of the city is quite spectacular from this vantage point.  Street vendors haul cases of Heineken around, selling bottles individually.  Several vendors lay out Paris-related trinkets on the pavement. My friend tells us this is a very popular spot to come to watch fireworks.

I have been to Sacré Coeur before, but had never been inside.  My partner Colin is not one to actually visit the insides of popular attractions, and last time we were here, he waved me off of going inside the Basilica.  Today, I just want to pop my head in for a quick look, but my friend encourages me to walk the full circle inside.   It is truly lovely.  A sermon is in progress, with a choir of nuns singing like angels.  The priest’s sermon is Mark 12:17, “Rend unto Caesar what is Caesar’s, and unto God what is God.” I stop in at the gift shop to buy a post card to send to my friend Sun Nee back in Canada.

After seeing the Basilica, we walk around the West side on Rue du Cardinal Guibert, past l’Eglise Saint-Pierre de Montmartre, and then through a little street lined with souvenir shops.  While the French Revolution took a terrible toll on other buildings in the 18th, the Eglise Saint-Pierre was spared.  (The Sacré Coeur Basilica was built later, from 1876-1919.)  

We exit onto Rue du Mont Cenis and pass the white tower in the Square Claude Charpentier, then turn left onto Rue Cortot.

When we reach Rue des Saules we turn right and pass the Clos Montmartre, which includes a vineyard, the Musée de Montmartre: Jardins Renoir.  In fact, Montmartre has been home to many famous artists over history, including Picasso, Monet, van Gogh, and Salvador Dali.

Then for about a block, the road becomes a pedestrian walkway, which today is being used as an impromptu dog park area.  The dogs are having a lot of fun.  Three are playing keep away from each other.  I spot a Shitzu and miss my own dog, who is staying in Canada while I’m in France. 

At this point, I’m not quite sure which roads we are on, but I think we took a right on Rue Caulaincourt, then another quick right on Rue Lamarck, to Rue Bequerel, to Rue Custine, to Rue Labat, to Rue Ramey.  I finally know we are at Rue Labat and Rue Ramey, because there is a spaghetteria called Sale & Pepe, which I find amusing.  Very Franglais, as Betty would say.

On a nearby corner, we wait for my friend’s husband and daughter to join us, then walk to Les Novices for dinner. I order a delicious mushroom ravioli, and then a rich mackerel dish that is somehow both savory and sweet.  It is very rich, but very tasty.  My friend's husband orders a lovely fish carpaccio.  My friend’s daughter orders a hamburger.  Betty asks her how to say “hamburger” in French.  Can you guess?  “Hamburger.”  But with a French accent.  Lol.

After dinner, we stroll back to my friend's house along a pretty direct route along Rue Custine.  We chat a little, then head to bed, because tomorrow we head to Brittany!