Paris: Sacre Coeur and Moulin Rouge on Bastille Day

August 30, 2016

On my last day in Paris, my sister and I went to the Sacre Coeur, the Sacred Heart Basilica in Montmartre, to get another scenic view of downtown Paris and to do some more shopping. This is the cathedral, from about halfway up the hill:

This is about a third of the way from the top, and we had some beautiful sky for a backdrop!

I was quite warm after hiking up all those stairs so I shucked my jacket for a tourist pose:

So did Stephanie:

We came for the city view so we turned and faced the city! We could see over the rooftops for miles!

This bird wanted a better view of us:

The weather was cool in mid-July, but you can't tell from the happiness of these blooming flowers!

This little fountain and pool sat at the foot of the basilica, about halfway down the hill.

As we walked down and away from the hill, we found some adorable boutiques along the Rue Tardieu and a few others in the urban maze.

The Christophe Roussel shop sold macarons and chocolates so I bought about a dozen to share with my coworkers and few to squirrel away for myself.

This was my favorite flavor: chocolate with chocolate ganache.

Stephanie bought a little piece of chocolate in the shape of a mountain (yes, actually) and it was filled with a raspberry jam.

A few street shots from our wandering shopping:

We really wanted to go see the Moulin Rouge, since we were only about a 10 minute walk away. Luckily, we walked down the the Boulevard de Clichy, which was a visual and giggle-inducing experience on our way to the theater. The street was lined with sex shops, signs for live performances, lingerie for the daring, and currency exchange booths. You could experience anything and everything here! Buy a lacy barely-there panty (for men or women)! or a dildo the size of your arm!

Of course, there was the Musee de l'Erotisme, the Erotic Museum, which exhibits sculptures, art, and other visuals and takes the visitor through the history of sex toys and porn. We did not go in this time...

We passed another retro-metro sign for the Paris train system:

We made it! Where's Christina Aguilera?

Lady Marmalade VIDEO

(if you press play, you are agreeing to PG-13 content)

Doing our best Marmalade poses:

Then we got hungry and went to find food! There was an adorable restaurant on the corner down the block from the Moulin Rouge called Cafe de Luna. This apple sculpture was across the way.