Though Friday's flight from Barcelona was OK, getting into Paris from the airport was somewhat unpleasant, made more so by the heat and crowded train and metro. We eventually made it to our HomeExchange host's apartment, then went to the nearby mega-mall to do some food shopping. What a circus -- at the far end of a big complex of stores and movie theater, a gigantic supermarket with humongo grocery carts that cost one euro to use, and many many people who drive their carts no better than shoppers in Costco. Whew.
On Saturday we set out with only one goal: Montmartre and Sacré-Coeur. We considered using free tickets from our host to take the cute little train up the hill -- reminiscent of Little Toot -- but we don't seem to be able to resist climbing stairs, so we walked. It was hot and very crowded, but an iconic sight is just that.
All the streets around the back of the church were full of souvenir shops and crowded cafés, and a small church nearby provided a respite. Here's St. Denis, who was beheaded by the Romans, but managed to walk all the way up Montmartre despite the handicap:
We decided to walk home, so came down the hill and had a late lunch. This view is typical of the area: crowded with people and vehicles, and lined with shops and cafés:
(Shortly after this, only pedestrians and very skinny motorbikes could move, as a garbage truck blocked the street for about ten minutes as guys tossed a mountain of empty produce boxes and cardboard into it.)
We passed the Montmartre cemetary, which looked very calm in comparison to the busy street:
Barcelona doesn't have a monopoly on interesting buildings:
Finally, it's only funny (if at all) because it's in French:
"we don't seem to be able to resist climbing stairs, so we walked." --- Woo Hoo!!
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