Hi friends, welcome back to my Paris and London Anniversary series 🙂 This day of our trip was extra special because it was our one-year wedding anniversary! After so many change of plans the prior two years, it felt a bit surreal to be spending our anniversary in Paris as planned. I had originally scheduled us to view the Musee d’Orsay first and spend the rest of the day in Montmartre, but the forecast showed a very hot afternoon with potential storms, so we reversed the order. The forecast was very wrong, so we should’ve stuck to the original plan, but we had an amazing anniversary nonetheless.
We grabbed coffee from Saint Pearl and set out on the 2.5 mile walk to Montmartre from Saint Germaine. It took about an hour to get there, but we tried to avoid the metro and pick pocketers as much as we could. I think I was just being paranoid, but we enjoyed walking everywhere and taking in the scenery.
The streets started getting a bit steep so I knew we were getting closer to Sacre Coeur, Paris’ highest natural point. It’s hard to miss this majestic church sitting atop the neighborhood. We started walking up the path and avoided the bracelet scammers. They were quite aggressive and would grab people’s wrists, so be prepared to firmly tell them no. Later when we were leaving they grabbed Jon’s wrist, but I was left unbothered.
Jon and I sat on a bench for a bit people watching and then headed up the stairs and got in line to see the church. We went on a Sunday during a service so I wasn’t sure what it would be like. There were no lines for tickets to climb the dome, and it was neat to hear the organ while we climbed the 300 stairs to the top. There were barely any people in the dome so maybe Sunday morning is the time to go! Jon and I were able to get all the views and pictures we needed without having to wait or jockey for a spot like at the Arc de Triomphe.
The views from the dome were spectacular and I loved being able to recognize places we had been the previous days. We saw the Eiffel Tower, Arc de Triomphe, Louvre, and Musee d’Orsay.  The arch is very tough to see, but in the center of the second photo it is just barely peaking up above the buildings.
The church took forty-four years to build and construction began in 1875. Compared to many other sites in Paris, this is relatively new. We went inside Sacre Coeur after the service let out and took a seat in the pews. We admired all the beauty but I didn’t take any pictures of the interior. The church felt very peaceful and somber from the service so it didn’t feel right to take pictures, but plenty of people did. We found it extremely calming in here, especially with all the busyness and hustlers on the steps outside.
After leaving Sacre Coeur, we grabbed baguettes and a chocolate au pain from Le Grenier a Pain. This was the best baguette we had on the trip!
Jon and I strolled the streets of this charming neighborhood known for being home to artists, writers, nonconformists, and bohemians/hipsters. Artists Van Gogh, Renoir, Dali, and Picasso all frequented or lived in this neighborhood.
We found the mur des je t’aime or the I Love You Wall, very fitting to see on our anniversary.
These streets were so cute! If we didn’t have plans to visit the Musee d’Orsay I could’ve wandered the neighborhood taking pictures for hours.
Last stop in Montmartre, the famous Moulin Rouge.
Next time we are in Paris, we will definitely spend more time exploring this unique neighborhood! We’re heading the the Musee d’Orsay next…
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Posts in my Paris and London Anniversary series:
- Day 1 – Saint Chapelle, the Concierge, and Notre Dame
- Day 2 – Palace of Versailles
- Day 2 – Versailles Garden
- Day 2 – Touring the Versailles Summer Homes
- Day 3 – Louvre Museum
- Day 3 – Champs Elysees & Arc de Triomphe
