Montmartre . . .& More
Highlights of Tuesday's Walking Tour Up the Hill
(Point at each photo to read the caption; click to enlarge.)
Historically, Montmartre was the center of the art world for several hundred years. And Brad, our local guide-du-jour and an American ex-pat, led us on a fun, fact-filled walking tour up (always up!) the backstreets of Montmartre. He was a wealth of information and told lots of stories about which artist or writer lived where and with whom during the late 19th and early 20th centuries when Montmartre
was the preferred locale of artists, writers, theatre people, and art dealers.
As a student of art history and literature in my college days and still a lover of both, simply being among the ghosts of these famous artists and writers was indeed more than I had ever hoped for,
not unlike Gil in Woody Allen's "Midnight in Paris."
was the preferred locale of artists, writers, theatre people, and art dealers.
As a student of art history and literature in my college days and still a lover of both, simply being among the ghosts of these famous artists and writers was indeed more than I had ever hoped for,
not unlike Gil in Woody Allen's "Midnight in Paris."
Sacre-Coeur
"IMAGINE" & MORE
Sacre-Coeur sits at the tippy-top of Montmartre, a visible landmark from most of Paris. The day was lovely, and to be truthful, Doug and I had seen enough church interiors to last us awhile, so we chose to enjoy the exterior of the Basilica and the sunshine along with the expansive view of Paris.
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As it turned out, however, the visit to Sacre-Coeur was much more than "just another church." After eating lunch at a nearby cafe, we returned to the plaza to find a large crowd gathered on the steps of the Basilica.
They were singing along with an impromptu concert by a young man playing a guitar. To hear John Lennon's song "Imagine" sung in multiple languages by people young and old was more than a throw-back to my college Hippie days. It confirmed my raison d'être for travel: people really are more alike than they are different. |
Then behind us, another young man entertained a smaller crowd with his superb ball handling skills. (See below.)
All of this made the visit to Montmartre and the Sacre-Coeur one of those serendipitous travel moments that made the day much more than I had ever imagined. |