The Basilique du Sacré-Cœur (English: Basilica of the Sacred Heart of Paris), stands tall on the highest hilltop in Paris, Butte Montmartre. Although it is a recent addition to Paris' glowing history (completed in 1914), it is a popular location for tourists and locals for it's panoramic views of the city especially on this Sunday afternoon. The area of Montmartre is known for is history of artists, musicians, clubs, cafes, and the vibrant and hip folk who inhabit and visit the area.
On this unseasonably warm winter day, reaching almost 70 F/ 20 C, the hillside was covered with folks enjoying life, talking, laughing, kissing, hugging, holding babies, playing or listening to acoustic music, the warm sunshine flooding the south facing hillside.
Nearby, this French woman accordionist/vocalist serenaded passersby, although, it felt so 1960's/70's that I expected to see Bob Dylan or Joni Mitchell stroll by (or even the ghost of Jim Morrison).
We sat at the outdoor cafe right at the base of the steps and watched the world go by while nursing a late lunch. Here's a table of fellow lunchers mugging for a camera.
And always, always, always - someone making Nutella crepes is never too far away.
The dome of the basilica peeks out in random spots throughout the neighborhood.
One of the sets of front doors.
One of many gargoyles on the church.
A block away where they sell the tourist stuff, I met this really cute French woman and was so taken by her, I brought her home with me! How very French.
The nearby Chocolate Museum had a great chocolate Notre-Dame replica ..........
.....and a chocolate Eiffel Tower also.
And walking back towards home from Sacré-Cœur on a random street, on a random wall - this simple reminder........the iconic saying, "je suis charlie," (I am Charlie.) It was created by a French artist shorty after the recent terrorist attack in Paris and went viral worldwide. It is reminiscent of the French reporter who, after the terrorist attack in the United States on September 11, 2001, in heartfelt sympathy said, "Ce soir, nous sommes tous Américains" (Tonight, we are all Americans).
(Note: I don't actually pick-up strange women in foreign cities; the "French woman" a few pictures above is not actually French but - she did live in France years ago, she is cute, and she is already my wife of 25+ years).
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