Montmartre and Versailles

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We started today off at the Moulin Rouge. Always a good place to begin anything. We then walked up the hill to Place de Tertre, the artist's square of Montmartre, winding our way down cobblestone streets to Sacre Coeur. The church is beautiful inside, but you aren't allowed to take pictures. Oh well. I actually prefer Sacre Coeur to Notre Dame I think because it feels more like a church inside and less like a touristy cocktail party. No one is allowed to talk in Sacre Coeur. I mean, Notre Dame is fabulous, but Sacre Coeur also has a great story behind it. It was built by the poorest people of Paris around 1870 and its unique Greek architecture style make it more interesting to me.

After visiting the church we had lunch at a cafe near Place de Tertre-crepes and sandwiches-and then did some shopping in the souvenir shops. I always like wandering around Montmartre as it is my personal favorite spot in Paris, especially the square with the artists. It's so bohemian.

In the afternoon Fabienne drove us to Versailles. Unfortunately the chateau was closed on Mondays (no one thought to look that up) but the gardens were open. And frankly, the gardens are the best part. There were people trimming the hedges all around with large plywood cut outs to get each plant perfectly shaped. Lily noted that that would be the worst job in the world. We stopped at the cafe on the grand canal for a drink and a rest from the shade. Upon returning to Paris, we had dinner with Fabienne on the Champs and then tried again to see the top of the Eiffel Tower. It was again closed because of crowds. So our new plan is to wake up early and be there a half hour before opening! Lastly, I included a picture of the space by the tower where there is a giant screen set up to watch every World Cup match. Definitely lots of interesting characters there. And on that note, I must go to bed if I'm going to be waking up early in the morning!