I find pacing myself kind of hard to do but I think I did alright for one day! I started the morning in Monmartre, where I went to Sacré-Cœur on the very top of the hill. Now of course there are stairs and of course I climbed them, there’s also a cable car… go figure. But if I can do the Incline then these little steps can’t beat me! Anyway, this church is stunning! Absolutely beautiful and the view is nothing to sneeze at either. Now, I only took one photo of the inside, not because photos weren’t allowed or I was trying to be quiet but because in my infinite wisdom, I was wearing shorts… oops.
Below the church is a beautiful fountain and gardens and then all the souvenirs a girl needs, including suckers on special request.
Now when I was getting ready for this trip I did all my research and I knew a lot of the scams that I would run into but up until now I didn’t encounter a single one. But at the bottom of the gardens are some men who will ask you where you’re from and they’re friendly and they’ll shake your hand. They won’t let go of your hand, instead they’ll tie a string around your wrist and then demand that you pay for it. Now I was raised to shake hands and so I stupidly shook the hand I was offered, but because I knew what he was trying to do I was firm about not letting him tie the string around my wrist and I was very close to being violent in order to make him let me go. Moral of the story, don’t talk to anyone on the streets and don’t shake any hands.
Having gotten my souvenirs in the morning I had to go back to my hostel and drop them off because I was not going to carry them around all day with me. But after having done that I went right back out to where I left off and made my way down the street to Moulin Rouge, where I took pictures, but didn’t go in.
Making my way south I ran into Trinité - d'Estienne d'Orves, and like most places I’ve been to over this trip, it was undergoing some renovations and restorations. During my detour back to my hostel I grabbed a scarf to shove in my bag and I used it as a skirt so I was happily able to get into this church without feeling incredibly awkward.
Then of course, further south I went. I don’t know if you know anything about the Galeries Lafayette, but it is a massive “mall” and it’s impressive in its own right. Now there are no walls to separate the “stores” and so I was a bit confused but I found my Angelina’s and I got myself a brownie and a cold chocolate and it was the most expensive brownie I’ve ever had but it was beautiful and I almost didn’t want to eat it because that would destroy it but it was fantastic!
After that I made it to where I was trying to get to which was Palaise Garnier. This place is just as extravagant as Versailles was but in such a different way! The sculptures and just the building itself is so artfully done and I couldn’t help but stare at everything. They even had little paper stage sets from previous performances.
Well by now I was wearing out so it was back to the hostel for some picture editing and rest. One of my roommates and I started talking and ended up going for a walk around the neighborhood and we passed into La Villette, a park area a bit north from us that was just a joy to stroll through. With all of that by the time we made it back around I was done for, me and my feet had had enough for one day.
But hey, three more days left in Paris, it’s a good thing I’ve got time because I’m going to need it!
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