Guided Tour of Montmartre

Montmartre View/History

Yesterday I went on a guided tour of Montmartre, a very artsy section of Paris on top of a large hill that has retained its 19th century village charm.  

 

 

Sacre Coeur

Sacre Coeur, the beautiful church that sits on top of the hill in Montmartre.  We got the chance to walk inside (no photos allowed) and there was a bishop giving mass at the same time.

Traces of the Past 

When Haussman rebuilt Paris in the 1860s, Montmartre was relatively untouched since construction was so difficult on such a large hill.  As a result, many streets in Montmartre look like this one (although now many are full of tourist traps as well).

The Moulin de la Galette 

The Moulin de la Galette was a working windmill in the 19th century.  There is a cafe underneath it that used to be very lively and attract a fun-loving crowd.

Renoir captured the spirit of this duo in his painting, Bal du Moulin de la Galette 

The famous Moulin Rouge!
Strangely enough, it is surrounded by fast food places and a bustling, modern city center. 

First Weeks in Paris

Orientation activity on Omaha beach (Normandy) 

We built sandcastles as a teambuilding activity and then took a picture together! (I'm wearing a red scarf center-right)

American cemetary in Normandy

The cemetery where all the casualties of the Normandy campaign are buried (D-Day included).

Some of the graves still have fresh flowers put on them and there were a fair amount of visitors when we went on Friday afternoon.