Churches, Museums, and.. Sex Shops?

Never thought those would go together, huh? But alas, they can be found in the same neighborhood. Today, my friend and I decided to go explore Montmartre where you can find Le Basilique du Sacré Coeur, Musée de Montmartre et Jardins Renoir, and, at the bottom of the hill, the Moulin Rouge and the "seedy" district of Pigalle.

I've generally avoided using directions as much as possible so we usually end up doing a lot of walking. I think we spent a good three hours walking around today. My feet are killing me but it was worth it. We started by weaving our way up the hill towards the Basilica of Sacré Coeur. Of course it was full of tourists but the line wasn't long so we went in to look around. It was absolutely gorgeous and you could see the entire city from outside of it. You're not allowed to take photos inside and I decided to be a good Catholic, despite the number of tourists disregarding the rules, and keep my phone in my purse but here are a few from the outside:

View from the steps of Sacré Coeur

Side of the Basilica

On our way out we stopped to listen to a guitarist and a drummer who were actually quite good before grabbing some gelato and wandering towards the Montmartre museum. The museum was once home to many famous artists including Renoir who painted La Balançoire there in the gardens. Naturally, I attempted to replicate the painting. I think I did a pretty good job...

Le Balançoire by Renoir

Posing on the swing from La Balançoire in Renoir's Gardens

The museum itself was beautiful. They had some amazing pieces in their permanent collection, some of which carry a lot of history. Le Chat Noir (poster featured below) opened in 1881 in bohemian Montmartre and was the first modern cabaret.

1896

"Au Lapin Agile" (a logo drawn for a local Cabaret frequented by many artists)

After the museum, we wandered downhill hoping it would eventually bring us to the Moulin Rouge and the metro. I didn't realize all of the sex shops and peep shows (modernized since the time of the Moulin Rouge) would still exist on the main boulevard considering it was now a huge tourist attraction but well, I guess the French aren't shy with their sex. It's highly amusing to me that this district is so full of tourists considering what it's known for but then again, I'm guessing none of them come to visit after dark.

Boulevard de Clichy

We finally found the Moulin Rouge but I was irritated I couldn't actually go in to look around so I checked the prices for dinner & a show: €185. Is that a joke? Must be one hell of a show. You're better off going to the museums to learn about it.

We accomplished quite a lot but we were exhausted after walking around so much so we sat down for a bière/beer (it's cheaper than water here) then headed home to rest.