Josy à Paris V: Montmartre

After 3 days of being shown around by Pleuve la Parisienne, it was time for me to explore the city on my own while Pleuve attended class. The extent of my laziness surprised even me--instead of my planned 8:00am wakeup and 9:00am exit, I woke up at 9:22am and didn't leave her apartment until 12:10pm.

First, I had to plan my next few days, so I wrote it all out on Pleuve's chalkboard:

Then I walked around mapless, heading in the direction of Sacré Coeur. Luckily I found a sign next to a graffiti-lined stairwell.

I ended up arriving at the Basilique du Sacré Coeur on the opposite side of the entrance. I took a leisurely stroll inside the church (unfortunately no photos are allowed) and admired the mosaic dome and colourful stained glass windows. From its steps I was able to get a shot of Paris' panorama.

Basilique du Sacré Coeur

I slowly made my way down the steps of the hill with heightened awareness since Pleuve had warned me about street vendors who would slap a bracelet on you and start braiding it before you could realize and decline. Then I passed by the bakery Le Grenier à Pain and asked the girl working there what she'd recommend for lunch. I got a yummy piece of bread with chèvre and sun-dried tomatoes, sat on a nearby bench, and readied myself for some Montmartre-navigation.

Cimitière de Montmartre

Since Café des Deux Moulins was looking elusive, I headed over to Cimetière de Montmartre (the Cemetery of Montmartre), where Pleuve's guidebook told me I could find the tombs of some notable Frenchies. I scanned down the list of their tourist map and marked down the location of Edgar Dégas (painter), Leo Delibes (composer of Lakmé), Alexandre Dumas (author), and Jacques Offenbach (composer of Les Contes d'Hoffmann, one of my favourite operas).

Tomb of Alexandre Dumas, author of The Count of Monte Cristo (one of my favourite books)

The cemetery was surprisingly organized with avenues and zone numbers, so although it was expansive I was able to quickly find my way around.

Passing by the Moulin Rouge

I could barely hold my excitement for my next destination Café des Deux Moulins, as made famous by my favourite film Amélie. In the movie, Amélie works there as a waitress and it's also where a lot of scenes take place. I was happy to see that it was mostly filled with locals as well as the odd Amélie-phile like myself, distinguishable by the presence of a camera or by his/her initial reaction upon entering the café.

Les Deux Moulins

I ordered a café crème from a friendly waiter and could not stop soaking in every corner of the place. Much of it was very recognizable, such as the bar, layout, and bathroom door; however, the colours and décor were different and there was no tabac--plus, they had free wifi. Strange.

All in all, Montmartre left me with a feeling of delight and its streets brought me a sense of colourful comfort. I'm looking forward to taking Pleuve to Les Deux Moulins before I leave.