We began the day by heading out on the metro to Montmartre. We caught the train to a rather 'dingy' part of Paris and walked up to Sacre Cour. It was sprinkling with rain and overcast skies above. We had a rather unpleasant experience of being harassed to buy bracelets at the bottom of the stairs up to the Basillica. These men were doing it to all the tourists that walked up, trying to force they're crap onto you and then ask for money. It's rather unpleasant.
The Basillica itself is quite stunning however. Even on a cloudy day. I love how it stands tall above the city, everpresent! It's not very old in the European scale of time. A little over 100years old.
The view from the forecourt over the city is quite something also.
I particularly like the domes of this building. They are a nice change from many other cathedrals and Basillicas we've seen.
After wandering inside and around for a bit, we wandered down the hill (and more steps) into Montemarte itself. It's alive with fresh food stores; grocers, butchers, fish mangers, and of course bakers. It's quite a nice scene. We stop here for some breakfast at an organic cafe (fancy)
The coffee was good however, and the bread Simi had was amazing!
We also came across the cafe Les Deux Moulins, the one from the movie Amelie. Simi quite liked that!
After breakfast we wandered the streets some more, and came across another of the original Metro railway entrances with the porch awning.
To sims displeasure, we then headed back up the hill (which meant a lot more steps) to the place du Terte, a small public square filled with amateur and local painters painting in the street. It was a bit touristy but still had a nice convivial atmosphere about it.
I like that the domes and spires of Sacre Cour keep popping up in between little alleyways and vistas. It really seems to bring the place together somehow.
There's some cute little old streets that take you back to a time gone by.
We come across an old vineyard called Clos Montmarte, the only remaining vineyard in the centre of Paris.quite cool really.
Nearby is the famous cabaret show house Au Lapin Agile, a tiny old building where Cabaret has been performed for over 100 years.
We make our way down to Rue Lepic, where we stumble across the two remaining windmills in the area. Quite an interesting site to see in an urban setting.
Time for some more baked goods - I just can't get enough. Cannot resist whenever I pass a shop window with so many delicious looking treats. Yum!
We end up back on the street where the Moulin Rouge is. It's funny how you seem to stumble across things in Paris. You just wander down one steet and turn left into another and then before you know it you've ended up in front of another famous landmark.
It's early afternoon and we hop on the metro and head out to Porte de La Villette, close to the periphery of the city. It's one of the revitalized industrial areas of the city that was turned into parkland and cultural precinct in the 80s.
There's some rather distinctive red buildings, which are mainly follies (purely structures) within the landscape, designed by architect Bernard Tschumi.
The park is pretty bleak and inactive. Granted it's winter and it's a school day, but there's not much happening here and it seems a bit unsuccessful in creating a vibrant parkland space.
The science museum is located near by. It's an interesting building, sunken below the park level and surrounded by a moat of water. There's bridges and multiple levels coming out of this place everywhere. It's a bit random.
There's so much space here and no one it! It has a touch of the Darling Harbour/ Tumbalong Park vibe of 5 years ago about it!
After a wander around Parc de Villette for an hour or so, we make our way back into the heart of town on the Metro to Chatelet. Simi is keen to visit another French dog clothes shop for Duster.
However when we get to the address it's now a cupcake store (not a bad thing I guess)! We stop by at a nearby Gelato store called Pozzetto for a rest from walking, oh...and to eat some gelato.
We ask the owner and discover that the dog clothing shop closed about a year ago. Sorry again duster! It's not to be.
However the gelato here is really good!!!
We stroll the Marais area for a couple of hours looking at the handbag and clothes fashion stores. Window shopping mainly. Part of the area is very Jewish, and there's a large section of one street dedicated to Jewish food stores and take aways.
I can't resist one of the Falafel sandwiches at L'As Du Fallafel. They're apparently legendary. Sim reads me a funny article review on the window of the shop , talking about the size of them and how sloppy they're to eat. People can be seen trying to hide in shop front alcoves so as not to be seen devouring the sandwich. It's a funny review!
We stroll the streets of the Marais some more - this is one of my favourite shop fronts, the shops name is very confusing! They're obviously open too ! Hilarious!
This one had a good name also.
We stroll some more and then pop out on the boulevard where the Pompidou is (there it is again)!
We hop on the metro and head home to the apartment to rest our feet , before
heading out for some late dinner. We first try the cute little place across the road which apparently, according to the online food guides, is awesome. However it's fully booked so we go elsewhere. We end up at a traditional French Bistro down near Gare de Lyon. It's quite nice, the atmosphere in these places is great. The atmosphere is kinda like our pubs but a bit more formal dining arrangements, with waiters and more focus on meals rather than beers!It's a nice experience at the bistro!
[apologies: no photos as battery died en route to dinner...I know right!]
We head back to the hotel quickly to escape the cold night air for sim. It's been another busy day!
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