Paris - Part Two

Day Two dawned foggy as well which was disappointing, but at least it was dry!  After breakfast we hopped aboard the coach for a morning of sightseeing.  

Henry was slightly dubious...he was hoping it wasn't going to be as long a coach journey as the day before!  I reassured him it wouldn't be, and that we had quite a lot of walking to do as well.

Our first stop was Montemartre for the Sacre Coeur and Pace du Tertre.  This white Roman Catholic basilica is located at the highest point in the city and has dominated the Parisian skyline since 1914.  It was dedicated to the 58,000 people who lost their lives during the Franco-Prussian War.  Sacre Coeur is French for Sacred Heart; Basilica of the Sacred Heart.

There were lots of steps to climb!

Fortunately though we got to rest frequently.

With opportunities to take photographs.

It was a shame the fountains were working.

Unfortunately because of the foggy day, the expected view, just wasn't!  A shame as apparently on a clear day you can see most of Paris from up here.

We enjoyed walking round the Old Artists Quarter where Artists set up their easels on the cobbled square.

This charming artists' square is where works are painted and sold on the spot.  It is a reminder of years gone by of the time when Montmartre was the artists' quarter of Paris.

The artists weren't at all pushy, and were happy to be bartered with if you so chose to do so.

I was approached by quite a few...I think it was the hat and the fact I was carrying Henry!

One in particular offered to do a picture in colour and I successfully negotiated a very good price indeed from him.  Never having had this sort of thing done before I thought why not?!  I must have been feeling very brave indeed!

Wearing a slightly bemused expression I sat down.

My friend Jill captured various angles and photographs of him drawing me.

Lots of people stopped to watch, take photos and even video it!

Bet you didn't realise I was famous! LOL

The finished picture was very flattering I must say, and once it is framed I will post a picture of it.  My husband is pleased with it, which is the main thing.

Henry looks at the door in a very curious and interested manner, marvelling at the carving.

We walked down the cobbled streets to see the remaining windmills of which only three of the original 14 remain.  Apparently Montmartre was covered in windmills to help the Parisians determine the direction of the wind each hour.  The whole windmill turned, not just the sails.  This served to break down materials from the factories.

We continued walking down the cobbled streets, past the cafe, one of the locations used  in the film Amelie, which I forgot to photograph!

At the bottom we stopped to see Moulin Rouge.  The "Red Windmill" of the famed cabaret which was immortalized by the works of Toulouse-Lautrec and was built the same year as the Eiffel Tower, 1889, by Josep Oller.  It is located in the red-light district of Paris, which was very obvious as we walked along the streets!

We then drove on to the world famous Notre Dame Cathedral...of which photographs will be shown tomorrow in Paris - Part Three.