Paris: Sacre Coeur and the Moulin Rouge

One sunny morning Scott and I boarded the hop-on, hop-off, bus and headed for the area of Paris known as "Montmartre". This area is definitely a study in contrasts. The beautiful Basilica of Sacre Coeur stands at the highest point in Paris, on top of a hill overlooking the city. It was built between 1875 and 1914 and it's location at the top of a steep hill is said to make the Basilica "shine out as a sign of hope". For more than 125 years this place has been a place of perpetual Eucharistic adoration: night and day someone is engaged in prayer within this Basilica. The day we visited there was a street festival going on. On the steps of the Basilica a rock band played quite loudly, while inside a Mass was being conducted. No photos were allowed within the Basilica, but we can tell you it is breathtaking inside. If you should ever get the chance, make the trip to Sacre Coeur!

There are 300 steps from the base of the hill to the Basilica. No worries though,
because there is a funicular as well.

The village around the Basilica is full of tourist shops and cafes. At the bottom of the hill the town continues but the shops are a blend of "real" shops and tourist places. A short walk leads to the "adult" area of Montmartre with many shops and clubs. It is here that we found the famous Moulin Rouge. The Moulin Rouge was built in 1889 and is recognized as the birthplace of the "can-can" dance. It was destroyed by fire in Feb. of 1915, but reopened in 1921.

We did attend a dinner show here on one of our evenings in Paris.
This theatre is soooo much larger than it looks!