Many steps under our feet

A quick post before bed tonight, as we were out late having dinner. We started the day in the 3rd district, exploring around the Opera Bastille. While Andriana checked out the opera house, I sat down for an espresso in a nearby cafe.

We spent most of today on our feet exploring Montmartre, in the 18th arrondissement on the north west side of Paris. Montmartre rests on a hill upon which sits its most famous basilica, the Sacre-Coeur.

The white basilica was originally conceived in 1871 and completed in 1914 and provided us with a fantastic view of Paris. The surrounding hill was swarming with people, pan handlers, and we assumed pickpockets, but once we were able to make our way up the hill to the basilica and get inside, the crowds thinned out nicely.

We were not permitted to take pictures inside the basilica, but after climbing the 237 steps to the upper dome, we were free to snap away.

 From the top of the dome we were able to get some fantastic shots of Paris. Climbing up and down the steps surely gave us a workout and made us a little dizzy too.

Once done at the Sacre-Coeur, we made our way along Rue Norvins towards Square Suzanne-Buisson, supposedly one of the most romantic corners of Montmartre. Along the way we wondered past the square of Marcel Ayme, named after the writer. Below you can see a sculpture based on one of his short stories.

I guess the person who described Square Suzanne-Buisson as romantic had a different idea of romantic, because when we got there, it was dominated by a jungle gym and about 20 children running and playing. Needless to say, at this point our feet needed a rest and we welcomed the entertainment of 5 young boys playing soccer in front of us. They were using a red ball as one of their goal posts, and more than one toddler, parent in tow, came by to kick the red ball. This didn't seem to phase the  5 older children, and provided us with some additional entertainment.

After our rest, we made our way towards the Cemetery of Montmartre where numerous writers, poets and artists are buried. At this point it was late and we were hungry so we decided to make our way back to the metro stop that would take us home. On our way, we came across the famous Moulin Rouge, but unfortunately, we chose buying food for the rest of our trip over the $350 cover charge to get in. Tonight our exciting plans are to do a load of laundry and sip champagne as we continue to celebrate our (3 year delayed) honeymoon. Good night.