The day we arrived in France, we took an excursion to Montmartre. This famous hill was (at some point) home to many artists, including Renoir, Monet, Van Gogh, Picasso, and Toulouse-Lautrec. It became the principal artistic center of Paris. Today, many local artists continue to paint and draw on this hill.

Montmartre is the highest hill in Paris and at its summit is the Sacre Coeur Basilica (the Basilica of the Sacred Heart). It is a beautiful basilica, but we were not allowed to take pictures of the inside. I have several pictures of the outside of the building and the panoramic view around the church.

At the bottom of the hill is the red-light district of Paris. It has many night clubs and cabarets, including Moulin Rouge. Needless to say, we stayed away from this area. The closest we got was boarding a motor-train across the street from Moulin Rouge. The motor-train took us up the hill, since buses are not allowed to travel the narrow streets.

Another interesting tidbit: supposedly, Montmartre is the birthplace of French Onion Soup.