Stepping through Montmarte

We decided today that we would tackle Montmartre.  I had really been wanting to visit this section of Paris, because it was described in the guidebooks as having a little feel of "old Paris".  It is the highest hilltop in Paris, and we could see the Sacre Coeur (a major church on the hill) from the top of the Eiffel Tower and the top of the Arc de Triomphe.  It looked like a fluffy white marshmallow in the distance and I decided we just had to see it up close and personal.  One of my four guidebooks (yes, I am a big dork) that I have been using is The Little Bookroom Guide to Paris with Children.  It was definitely worth the $10 today, as it gave us a fabulous step-by-step tour of Montmartre to follow.  Its #1 recommendation was:  do NOT take a stroller!  Boy, am I glad I followed that advice.  We traveled up and down and around so many steps today and over so many cobblestone streets, that we would have been carrying Jack and the stroller. It was a workout, but it was worth every step.  It was probably my favorite part of Paris so far, a must-see on my list.

We took the Metro to the Abbesses stop, which is a word I can not seem to pronounce correctly.  I still can't figure out why I have trouble with it, but I do.  After carrying Jack up what seemed like a thousand steps, we made it into the sunlight and saw the Le Mur des je t'aime, or I love you wall.  "I love you" is written on a huge wall in 250 languages.  I don't know what the origin is, but it might be that the artist was saying "I love you" to the flat ground after walking up so many steps.

We passed by the Moulin de la Galette, one of the only two remaining windmills in Montmartre.  Then we found a crazy sculpture in the place Marcel Ayme, based on one of the author's short stories in which a character develops the power to walk through walls. The kids thought it was cool, but it disturbed Jack a little that the man was stuck.

We stopped in a neighborhood park and playground to let the kids run around a bit.  The park contains a statue of Saint Denis, the patron Saint of Paris and France.  According to legend, when Saint Denis was beheaded in Montmartre, he picked up his head and carried it in his hands while he walked for six miles and preached sermons.  Now that is dedication to your calling!  It was a creepy story that the caught the kids' attention.  I couldn't resist taking a picture of the statue. Notice that he is holding his head in front of his chest.

We found our way to the Place du Tetre, which is a village square full of cafes and artists painting scenes of Paris and painting portraits.  We contemplated having a portrait painted of all 4 kids, but quickly changed our minds when we discovered they would have to sit there for 2 hours.

We had lunch in a cafe on the square, where we caught Jack trying to cut off one ear of his toy Sully from Monsters University with a butter knife.  He had already cut off one ear of some other Monsters University character.  He is taking this Van Gogh thing a little too seriously.  I hope he doesn't start trying to chop off heads like poor Saint Denis...

After lunch, we finally reached the Sacre Coeur, a beautiful church high on the hill. The inside of the church had many elaborate scenes made out of tiny mosaics.  It was breathtakingly beautiful. Sorry, no pictures of the inside, but it was a rule.  I have already discussed my rule-following habit. Here is a picture to show the beauty of the outside:

I also couldn't resist posting this picture of Hadley. She is doing her "Sofia the First" pose on the steps below Sacre Coeur.

We found another park nearby, because the kids had been so patient in the church.  The park was quite lovely. The guidebook stated that the playground had climbing walls.  In actuality, they were ramps covered in astroturf like on a putt-putt course. It sounds hokey, but the kids had a blast.  They must have run up and slid down 50 times.  If I could figure out how to install one of these in our back yard, I would.

We ventured back down the hill and ended our visit to Montmartre on a double-decker carousel.  I was too busy trying to ensure that Jack didn't fall off of his horse to take a picture.  They don't have the carousel safety belts in France that we have in America.  I am sure it somehow relates to me being an overprotective parent.

After going back to the apartment for a quick nap for Jack and downtime for the older kids, we headed back out to track down Shakespeare and Company.  It is a vintage bookstore that Dan wanted to find because it was a hangout of Hemingway and because we are book hoarders in the Briggs house.  We ate a late dinner at a cafe two doors down from the bookstore.  I am happy to report that I did not order frites a single time today.  I am so proud of myself.  Also, no animal lost an ear at dinner.

Tomorrow, Versailles...