Rick Steves Best of Paris in 7 Days Tour Scrapbook!
Day 3: Magical Montmartre & Merlot
Morning in Montmartre!
Montmartre is a cute picturesque part of Paris situated mostly on a large hill. In fact Montmartre means "Martyr on the Mountain" - a name certainly attributed to the church, Basilica of the Sacred Heart of Montmartre, which remembers Joan of Arc and sits at the very top of the hill. It was consecrated in 1919 and has an incredible panoramic view of the city!​ I was excited to visit Montmartre because of its known charm and source of inspiration for great artists such as Picasso and Van Gogh. Most of all, it is also the setting of one of my favorite films of all time, Amelie!
But in order to get there, we had to take the train and in the morning I found myself on my first metro ride of the tour! There's a station walking distance from our hotel so it's incredibly convenient. Fair warning, the train gets PACKED! So moving with polite assertiveness is a must. Coming out of the metro we learned a bit about some of the historically preserved metro signs that have the charm emblematic of artsy Montmartre promises! We passed plenty of Christmas markets, booths, and incredible street art along our path to the Basilica.
If you think the art on the street is cool -- the mosaics, stained glass, and view from Basilica of the Sacred Heart of Montmartre will take your breath away!
Stained glass and mosaics depicting the story of Joan of Arc
Our group looking over the entire sunshine graced city!
Afternoon
After our incredible stroll through Montmartre and a handful of roasted chestnuts, we were free to wander on our own! Luckily our guide Virginie told us exactly where to find interesting sites, such as the infamous Moulin Rouge and the cafe in Amelie as well! Even better -- turns out I wasn't the only Amelie super fan on the tour too! Us Amelie aficionados strolled down to the bottom of the hill of Montmartre to the Café des Deux Moulins and a glorious lunch of onion soup, fries, and creme brûlée was had! THIS is why traveling solo can be a blast on a Rick Steves Tour! New friends are not only just around the corner, but alongside you on the tour!
A nice stroll....
After our lunch, I decided to walk all the way back to our hotel. I wasn't confident in my Metro riding skills yet! Lucky me, the Arc de Triomphe was along the way!
Evening...
I made it back to our hotel JUST in time for the wine tasting lesson put together and led by our guide Virginie! Not only did we try wines, but cheeses and pastries from nearby shops! If that wasn't delicious enough, we then all walked over to a restaurant for dinner! I had some delicious rolled chicken and the lime cheesecake was sublime!
