Paris - Montmarte and Le Tour De France

For the last day we were in France, we woke up to lovely weather (again). We were very fortunate compared to London where it is mostly overcast, we had sunny weather for almost the entire trip in Paris.




We joined up with Matthew at the Gare to Nord, and from there, we walked up into the Montremartre area of Paris. Sadly, there were a ton of people as well as creepy street vendors selling silly Paris souvenirs that marred the area just below the Basilique du Sacre Coeur.



Tony loves this area, and we found the small cafe that we'd had French Onion Soup at many years ago, and we were able to once again eat there.









I had a very French meal of a salad with Pork Terrine (pate) on top of it. And of course a glass of French Merlot.

Delicious.






Tony was feeling sentimental (a rarity) and had the French Onion Soup (a dish actually credited as being created in Paris) again.



We wandered through the Montmarte neighborhood stopping to pay tribute to the studio of Pablo Picasso, as well as the residences of Toulouse Lautrec and Vincent Van Gogh.







It is amazing to see the places where these legendary artists lived and developed their unique artistic gifts.

We also walked past the cafe where Amelie worked in the film, Amelie, and saw the legendary Moulin Rouge. It is a lovely area to walk around in, right up until you get down around the Moulin Rouge, and then it turns into tourist central.


We strolled through the heart of past the most beautiful opera house in the world - Le Palais Garnier. It was here that the classic film, The Phantom of the Opera, was to have taken place. The last time we were here, it was undergoing restoration. Now, the front is finished, and it is magnificent.




From there, we wandered over towards the Louvre to see the riders come in from The Tour de France. It was the last day of the multiday event, and it was exciting to see the mass of riders making their final miles into the center of Paris.



After this, Tony obliged me with a visit to see the inverted Pyramid, which was used as the final resting place of Mary Magdaline in The Davinci Code. It is actually located in the middle of a shopping center ajacent to the Louvre. It's right next door to the Virgin Megastore.








It was then time for us to make our way back to the Gare du Nord, and the train back to London. It was a lovely trip, and I look forward to returning to Paris in november for Tony's 50th Birthday celebration.