Our schedule the next day is Montmarte. This 130m high hill is located at the northern part of Paris and was a place whereby many artists had their studios back then.
Now, Montmarte has become one of the iconic tourist spots of Paris with its grande Basilica du Sacre-Coeur.
We went out from the hotel at around 8:00 am, took the metro to Abbesses Station and walked towards the funiculaire that would bring us to the top of the hill. There are two options to reach the top of the hill, either by funiculaire or by many many steps.
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| Walking along the sleepy neighbourhood early in the morning |
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| Funiculaire vs Steps |
We chose to conserve our energy by taking the funiculaire up. There is a ticket machine and a ticket counter before the gate of the funiculaire. You can use the metro ticket you have to take this facility. So, we went up with our carnet.
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| Queueing for the funiculaire |
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| Stairway to Heaven? |
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| The magnificent view at the top of the hill |
Other than looking down to see one part of the city, we were welcomed by the white-coloured basilica.
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| Taa-Daa! |
The downside of the day we visited this place was the weather. It was so windy and cloudy. No blue sky. Even though it did not affect the beauty of this place, it still left a bit of disappointment in me. No matter what, we enjoyed our time up here by taking as many photos as possible and of course, going into the church.
It was Saturday, there was a mass but we were still allowed to go in. For free. We walked into the church, walked around and admired the architecture and the art works inside.
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| One of the art works inside the church, about Jesus' cruxification |
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| The dome from the inside |
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| Miniature of Sacre-Coeur |
The church sold a medallion with the basilica engraved onto it for EUR 2 (~SGD 3). We bought it as souvenir because we thought it was quite unique and later we discovered that in every church in Paris, similar medallions were sold.
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| The medallion |
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| Another shot before saying Au-revoir to the magnificent basilica |
Before we went down, we basically overheard a tour guide from Asia, probably from China, telling his tour group that there was nothing inside the church so no point going inside. He told his group to just take some photos around the steps and gathered back in 30 minutes. After hearing that, I swore to myself not to join any group tour anymore. What for going so far a distance if not to enjoy it to the fullest???
So, we chose to walk down the steps because it's another ticket to take that funiculaire down. It did not worth the 3-minute journey.
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| Walking down |
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| Another look to the basilica :( |
When we reached the toe of the hill at around 10:30 am, it seemed like the town had waken up. Shops and cafes were opened, people were crowding along the streets and alleys, and a long queue to the funiculaire. So, whoever want to visit this place, come early!
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| The crowd, Oh Gosh! |
There's a sandwich and crepe shop at the corner that attracted us so much with the nice smell. So, some of us ordered the crepes while the rest went into the nearby souvenir shops and do the most touristic thing to do, shopping!
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| Pretty pretty crepes |
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| Banana-nutella vs Ham & cheese |
The crepes were delicious especially the ham & cheese, and it cost around EUR 2-3 for each. The souvenir shopping turned out well too. We walked out of Montmarte with happy tummy and a bag full of key rings, figurines, photo frames, and fridge magnets.
Next -
Tour Eiffel and Champ Elysees, Must Do!
Love is in the air,
Little Feet
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