2014.11.4With an OpenStack conference scheduled for the afternoon, I still had the morning for some sightseeing. Taking Metro Line 12 from Place de la Concorde to Abbesses station, a short walk led me to Montmartre. Rising about 130 meters above Paris, this hilly district has been a magnet for artists since the 19th century. Even as the opening of the Moulin Rouge and the completion of Sacré-Cœur transformed this village of windmills into a bustling urban hub, its bohemian, anti-traditional atmosphere remained, drawing creatives to its streets ever since.
Exiting the Metro at Abbesses requires climbing a long spiral staircase, which brings you roughly halfway up the hill. Behind the station lies a small garden featuring a high wall decorated with blue lava tiles, where a few tourists were posing for photos. It turned out our pre-trip research was a bit lacking—Paris’s Wall of Love (Le mur des je t’aime) is apparently quite famous, yet we stumbled upon it entirely by chance. Completed in 2001, the wall is covered in “I love you” written 311 times in 250 languages. It is, naturally, an essential stop in the “City of Romance.”
The streets of Montmartre are highly commercialized. We browsed through shops along the way, eventually reaching the Sacré-Cœur Basilica. The basilica was originally intended to inspire a religious revival following the French Revolution and the Paris Commune. Approved in 1873 and completed during World War I in 1914, the pure white structure sits at the highest point of the hill. Looking up from the base of the steps, the view is grand and imposing, yet it feels more like a place for quiet harmony than fearful awe. However, the area is prone to scammers posing as charity collectors; it’s best to keep your distance.
Climbing the front steps to the upper terrace, the view opens up to reveal the entire Parisian skyline. Many people sit on the stone steps, listening to street performers while overlooking the city.
The interior of Sacré-Cœur is vast, with small chapels lining the sides and the area behind the altar. A mass was in progress during our visit, so I only managed a wide shot from a distance.
Walking around the left side of the building, the domes reveal Sacré-Cœur’s Byzantine architectural style. After a century of exposure, the white marble has begun to show its age with noticeable dark weathering. Behind the church is a quiet garden with few tourists. At the end of the path, a long set of stairs descends to the streets below, often called “Montmartre’s Milky Way.” I’ve seen many photos of these steps glowing under night lights; they are a classic Parisian sight. The scene in Midnight in Paris where Gil tells Adriana about his obsession with the city at night was filmed right here.
Retracing our steps along the cobblestone paths, the commercial buzz of Montmartre returns just a block away from the basilica. The route is lined with portrait artists, and plenty of tourists are happy to participate. Montmartre is, after all, a place of artistic legend, once home to the likes of Dalí, Monet, Picasso, and Van Gogh.
Further ahead is the famous Place du Tertre. Roughly the size of two or three basketball courts, this square is often called the heart of Montmartre and a sanctuary of modern art. Famous painters worked and lived here in the early 20th century. Today, dozens of artists still set up easels and stalls to sell their work. To me, however, it felt little different from a standard urban art festival; some even say many of the paintings aren’t actually done by the people standing there, so it’s worth being cautious if you plan to buy.
There’s plenty to discover on the hill—unique bistros, small boutiques, and the Dalí Museum around the corner make it a walker’s paradise. The most charming features are the long stone staircases; whether covered in autumn leaves or snow, they must be a romantic sight.
Pressed for time due to the OpenStack event, we grabbed a quick pasta lunch at a local restaurant. We didn’t have time for the Moulin Rouge or several other landmarks.
Returning from the meeting in the evening, we decided to visit La Défense. As Paris’s modern business district, it offers a space for contemporary commerce without disrupting the traditional character of the old city. The Grande Arche sits on the historical axis that extends from Versailles through the Arc de Triomphe and the Champs-Élysées—a perfect dialogue between the old and the new. Public transport is convenient; a single metro ride from Place de la Concorde takes you straight there. As a commercial hub, it feels safe at night. We climbed the high steps beneath the Grande Arche, though the square was unfortunately filled with tents—perhaps for a holiday event—which didn’t make for the best photos.
