Paris: Montmartre and Sacre Coeur

On a cloudy, rainy day, we walked to Montmartre to see the Sacre Coeur Basilica. We followed the walking tour for this area from our guidebook (which I highly recommend). It took us through the quiet streets behind the Basilica and helped us avoid the more "touristy" spots, although we peeked at those spots and they didn't seem that bad. Maybe we were just there on a quiet day.

We saw the artists in the Place du Tertre, and the last little vineyard on the side of the hill. We saw two of the last remaining windmills, and lots of quiet, almost village-like neighborhoods.

And once we got to the top, there was the view!

We sat for a bit on the steps, taking in the scenery and watching the men selling souvenirs quickly gather up their merchandise and act cool when the police drove by.

We exited on the stairs to the east of the Basilica. They were almost deserted, and to my delight, they led us right into the fabric district. There were fabric and notion shops everywhere! If only my junior high French was up to snuff, I might have braved a shop and purchased some fabric. As it was, we peeked in the windows and continued down into the city.