Montmartre, Sacre Coeur

Tonight we were driven to Montmartre where the Basilica Sacre Coeur is found. The area around the church is filled with artists and this was the place where impressionism was born. Monet, Gauguin and Van Gogh, to mention a few, were some of the artists who lived in this area and started changing the face of the art world in their day.
But at the top of the hill, stood the gleaming white Sacre Coeur Basilica. This is the site of the defeat of the French in the Franco-Prussian war where Napoleon III was captured. The defeat was attributed to the moral decline of the people since the French Revolution so the solution was to build a church dedicated to the sacred heart of Jesus.
This history also explains why the red light district is spread all around the feet of the Basilica.
The Basilica is accessed by climbing 300 steps and there is no elevator here! But instead, we lined up for the funicular that would whisk us to the top of the hill in no time. While we waited in line for the funicular, I noticed a hat shop nearby. I think I raised Doug's anxiety levels a little, but I bought a cute black beret with a veil, and still caught my ride!
At the hilltop, we wound our way around restaurants and artists drawing portraits until we came to the church itself. We lined up and were two of the few from our group who managed to get inside the church in the free time our guide allotted. A mass was underway, so we took some pictures and circled behind the altar looking at the art. The depiction of Jesus above the altar was white and gold set into a blue background and was absolutely beautiful! The church felt tranquil compared to the hustle and bustle outside and I would have liked to stay longer, but we rushed back to our group.Read more