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foversta
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A walk in Montmartre: *** modem burner ***

After a substantial lunch to celebrate new year's day, I decided to do a walk on Montmartre hill which is quite close to my flat: I needed to get some exercice to lose calories!

I took my camera with me to share with you these pictures I had the pleasure to shoot during the walk. So follow me, ready to climb the 130 meters hill?





We are at the beginning of the stairs, square Willette and we can admire the beauty of the Sacré-Coeur church. This square is famous thanks to a scene of Amelie Poulain was shot there. And actually, I already met Amélie (in fact Audrey Tautou twice in this area...). You need energy to climb the hill but the setting is worth the effort ! It is the reason why I didn't take the funicular.













A view on Paris roofs: the sky is overloaded but it brings nice colors. This is a view of the right bank of Paris, the northern part of the capital. On the middle of the second pic below, you may catch sight of the Montparnasse tower, the highest building in Paris.









Here we are ! The Sacré-Coeur ! The Basilica was built between 1876 and 1912. Its dome can be seen is easily recognizable and one of the most well-known places of Paris. Its white color is due to the use of the travertine stone which is a quite stable stone despite the pollution.














A gargoyle:





The back of the Sacré-Coeur:














We are approaching now the Place du Tertre, between the Basilica and the Place du Tertre, it is a very touristic zone full of overpriced restaurants and shops. Despite this commercial side, the hill has kept its charm even if... sometimes we find some details too authentic to be honest !






You can see with this picture of the stairs that Montmartre is a true hill:






This is a contest of the hugliest tee-shirt!





Who said that the Place du Tertre is a too crowded place ? Because this person was right! At the Place du Tertre, you can meet a lot of painters who draw your portrait or your caricature. I didn't count how many times Mr Bean was used as a model ! Did Rowan Atkinson live in Montmartre ? LOL !

















We can also find aliens...





A beautiful Art-Déco door:





Another view from the hill:






A picture of a clock to give a horological touch to this post:





Taking the Petit Train is a nice experience... even if you walk at a higher speed !





The Maison Rose which was painted by Utrillo... and shot by me !!!!!!!!






A nice sundial:

"Quand tu sonneras je chanteray" is actually an hommage to the bell of the Sacré-Coeur. The sentence means: when you will ring, I will crow.





A beautiful gate:





This is what we call a very small bus stop!









Dalida's bust. Dalida was a famous egyptian-french singer who lived in Montmartre:





Each meter, you may find nice and original details:









This is a very famous statue which can be found place Marcel Aymé: it was created by french actor and artist Jean Marais and is an hommage to Marcel Aymé. One of his most famous books is the "Passe-Muraille" (when you go through the walls).









The windmill of the Galette restaurant:





Aliens again, aliens everywhere!










The nice shops of the rue Lepic:









We turn right to walk towards the Place des Abbesses.










Now we are starting to go down to reach the Place des Abbesses. In this Square is located one of the most fascinating churches of Paris: St Jean de Montmartre. It is not well known, tourists forget to visit it and it is a pity. Why? Because it is the first example of the use of reinforced cement to build a church. This cement plus the very specific details (the church was built between 1894 and 1904) make St Jean an original place to visit.





The architect, Anatole de Baudot:





The entrance:














 




Inside, you can feel an unique atmosphere:

























I highly recommend the visit of this church  if you are in the Montmartre area.

About the route you should follow, I usually start with the square Willette, climb on top of the hill and go down by the Place des Abbesses. You will enjoy a lot this walk as  I did a few days ago. Be sure that with this report you only see 10% of the places to discover in Montmartre. If you love unusual areas, take a good guide book with you and you will go all over Montmartre by trying to discover what is hidden in each corner of the streets. I insist on the preparation of the walk: note the houses, buildings and details to see before and with a precise map you will enjoy each step in this famous place of Paris. If not, you will miss most of them and you would regret it.

Fr.Xavier