Unfortunately it was pretty rainy, so getting around was a little more difficult. Nevertheless, we had a great time touring this beautiful neighborhood!
We started our tour by walking up the steps to the Sacré Cœur. This church is located at the highest point in Paris, by which you get an awesome view of the city once you are at the church's doors.
Compared to other churches we've visited, Sacré Cœur, is actually not that old. It was built between 1875-1919, and was really only built because the French Catholics felt that they were being punished for their "liberal sins" in the 1870s. So they raised money to build this church.
When we walked in, we realized mass was going on, so we were only able to walk around the crowded perimeter. Honestly, I think a good majority of people "praying" were just trying to catch a break from the rain.
By the time we left the church, there was pretty much a torrential downpour. So we hopped over to the Place du Tertre, which is a popular "bohemian" square filled with a lot of cafes and artists, for a bite to eat.
After lunch, we walked over to see the Church of St. Pierre-De-Montmartre, which is actually one of Paris' oldest churches (built in 1147). Other than that, there's nothing exactly notable about the church. However, there are a couple of interesting stories about two of Montmartre's martyrs...
The first martyr story is about St. Denis, who was an early Christian bishop who was sentenced to death by the Romans for spreading Christianity. About halfway up the hill, the Romans got tired from all the walking, so they decided to behead him early. But apparently St. Denis got up, picked up his head and walked for a few more miles until he died.
The second story is about how the Virgin Mary spared Montmartre from the WWII bombs in April of 1944.
After the church, we continued our walk down Rue Norvins, which is Montmartre's oldest (and main) street, and saw some other important Montmartre landmarks, like Au Lapin Agile Cabaret, before popping into a cafe to warm ourselves during another downpour.
Our walk started back up at a visit to the Moulin de la Galette. Out of a total of thirty, Moulin de la Galette is one of the two remaining windmills in Montmartre. It's courtyard is where Renoir's famous painting, "Bal du Moulin de la Galette" takes place, and it is now a restaurant today.
We also got to see where Vincent van Gough lived with his brother, Theo, between 1886 and 1888.
Then our walk concluded at the famous Moulin Rouge (the other remaining windmill). Since 1889, Moulin Rouge has been a venue for all sorts of entertainment. People like Colette, Edith Piaf, Ginger Rogers, the Village People, Ray Charles, Tony Curtis, Ella Fitzgerald, and Jerry Lewis have all given performances at this venue. Today, it still gives performances. Although we aren't sure what kind of show it is, we do know that tickets are crazy-expensive (125 Euros for just a seat).
After our tour of Montmartre, we hopped on the Metro to go check out the Opéra Garnier. This big 'n beautiful theater was built for Napoleon III in 1875, and it still serves as a venue for ballets and concerts. The foyers are incredibly beautiful, and we were constantly being awestruck by this building's beauty.
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| Tribute to Charles Garnier, who was the architect for the opera house |
The Italian-style auditorium where performances are held. It only seats 2,000 people, but it sure is pretty to look at. And wouldn't it be super cool to catch a show here?!
After the opera house, we slowly made our way back to the apartment by walking around, enjoying happy hour in the rain, and finding some really cool passageways filled with cute boutiques and restaurants.
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| Another Apple store! |
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