There’s only one thing to do in Paris on a mild sunny autumn day, and that’s head north to the hills of Montmartre.  En route we did some reconnaissance at Gare du Nord, since we will be dragging suitcases through it at 7am tomorrow as we hunt down our train to Amiens.

The most famous feature at Montmarte (Martyrs Mount) is of course Sacre Coeur, and it certainly wasn’t hard to find.   Faced with the option of a steep climb of 200 steps or a short hop in a cute little funicular train (Metro tickets valid), the choice was simple and we rode the rails for all of 30 seconds.  The clouds that have dogged us all week had finally parted and the white marble basilica was framed by a blue sky, so we were hopeful of a spectacular view of the city.  Alas, the fog hadn’t quite lifted, so we turned our attention to our more immediate surroundings.

Sacre Coeur was built relatively recently, consecrated in 1919.  It contains the world’s largest mosaic.  There was a service in progress but I was able to go in to look at the interior.

Sacre Coeur in sunshine

Next door is one of Paris’s oldest churches, St Pierre de Montmartre, founded in 1133.  From there we followed our flaneuring route downhill, wending our way down the steep and narrow cobbled lanes, past a still working vineyard and two of the famous windmills.

Moulin de la Galette

The walk ended up in the less than salubrious Pigalle district, home of the notorious Moulin Rouge.  I could have purchased some interesting souvenirs which would not have taken up much space in my suitcase, but on a euro per metre of fabric basis, could not be deemed value for money!

Moulin Rouge

After a lovely morning, we came home for lunch.  It was the first time the weather had been sunny enough to sit on our balcony.  We decided to finish the afternoon with another local activity (besides munching on baguettes and eclairs from the boulangerie up the road).  The Viaduct des Plantes is an elevated walkway which runs east from the Opera House for a couple of kilometres.   Autumn foliage twined its way over wrought iron arches, and plants of all sorts lined the edges of the walkway.  It was a very pleasant way to while away an hour or so.  We finished the walk at Place de la Nation, which features an enormous bronze monument “Triumph of the Republic”, built to commemorate the centenary of the Revolution.

Viaduct des Plantes, or Greenway

Tonight it’s time to pack the suitcases and get an early night.  Paris has been beautiful, exhausting, surprising, crowded, educational, frustrating and fun.  After five very full days we have barely scratched the surface and there are many more things to do and places to explore here.   We never even climbed Eiffel Tower!  Things I won’t miss – the tap water tastes terrible, so many people smoke, and the crowds on the streets and in the metro are overwhelming.  Things I will miss – having dozens of boulangeries and patisseries on my doorstep, galettes for lunch, the convenience of my metro pass, seeing so many incredible buildings and monuments, and discovering tiny pockets of tranquillity in hidden gardens and courtyards.

View from our balcony at Rue de la Roquette