monmarte, place du tertre, sacre coeur

from the metro stop anvers on line 2, you are faced with an ascending street filled with souvenir shops and bad crêperies. this neighborhood, monmarte, is constantly buzzing and worth the visit for the good and the bad - the cheap prints of famous art and the impossible crowds, the nikes that "fell off the truck" and the locals who want to sell you aluminum eiffel tower figurines or tie pieces of string to your wrist. it is also the gateway to some of the city's most precious 'endroits'. here is monmarte from the top of the street.

once you get to the top of the 'rue' you face a structure straight out of minas tirith. this looming structure is the sacre coeur basilica. there is an impossibly long set of stairs or crowded elevator that costs a metro ticket that stand in your way. or you can do what i do, and turn left at the base of the steps and wind through the streets of monmarte. i window shop. i stop for a drink. finally i arrive at the plaza before sacre coeur - the famous artist plaza - 'place du tertre'. in certain moments picasso and chagall could have been found working here or having a coffee. the plaza is still buzzing with artists on a daily basis. most are doing quick portraits of tourists but some are still working on original pieces. the restaurants in this plaza are overpriced, but there is a small free art gallery where you can purchase original dalís, picassos and chagalls. but seriously. you can buy them. don't worry, the shipping is free.

in that last picture you can see it peeking out: the sacre coeur basilica. the building was constructed starting in the late 19th century as a catholic basilica and an act of political penance. for me it is a place to view the whole of paris, have a snack and a drink on the endless steps at the foot of an unbelievable structure, listen to musicians and watch street performers, and consciously let the hours slip away.