October 7, 2007
Montmartre, Pigalle and the Sacré Coeur
A stop at Saint Sulpice for Sunday Mass
Arriving at Pigalle by Métro
Boulevard Rochechouart at Place Pigalle
Up the tawdry Rue de Steinkerque
toward the Sacré Coeur
Quite a climb from here, so...
We chose the funiculaire...
€ 1,50 just to avoid a fight of stairs!
Years ago I climbed up and down on more than
one occasion and there have been dare-devils who rode bicycles down the steps!
The views over Paris from the height are spectacular
although there was a lot of haze this day. The loungers on the lawn are mostly young
Parisians and the scene is much like Central Park in New York on a beautiful Sunday afternoon.
The long gray roof line in the left center of the view is the train shed at the Gare Saint-Lazare
appearing now just as it did in the twelve paintings by Monet (1877) of
Saint-Lazare which hang in the Musé d'Orsay today.
Built in 1875, the Basilica is young among Paris churches.
breathtaking white against the blue sky. Private photography is not allowed inside the church
but some views can be seen here.
Closer detail of the building.
A long stairway down for those who dare.