July 3, Montmartre and Sacre Coeur

I was excited about visiting this famous old section of Paris.  It was where all of the artists, writers, and musicians used to hang out back in the day.  I guess everyone else was excited about visiting Montmartre too, because it was extremely packed with tourists and touristy shops and gift stands.  It was a little bit honky-tonkish, but still well worth seeing.

We took the Metro from St. Lazare, just a block away from our hotel, and arrived at the Pigalle station less than 20 minutes later.

Below you can see the hordes of tourists, many of whom were also heading up to the Sacre Coeur basilica in the distance.

It's a beautiful church that towers over all of Paris.

We continued on up and saw some incredible views.

Afterwards we had a look at the open air market and some of the stores.

Finally, an uncrowded street.

Moulin Rouge

Since it was all downhill, we decided to walk back to our hotel.  That took a few hours because we stopped for dinner along the way.

Another delightful day in Paris!