Kauffman Commentary

After a morning overview of the sites of Paris we traveled north and up a hill to  Montmartre, the 18th arrondissement.

Montmartre originally was outside of the walls of the city of Paris and its own village. Many impressionist artists came to the Montmartre area in the late 1800’s. Picasso, Monet, Toulouse Luutrec , and Utrillo were a few of the well known artists.

Montmartre has gone from an inexpensive, artists haven, to multimillion euro homes. It is a difficult place to go logistically. Not many cars are allowed on their roads, the metro doesn’t go out that far and it is straight up hill to walk.

The Basilica of the Sacre-Coeur was built in Montmartre from 1876 to 1919, financed by public subscription as a gesture to make amends for the suffering of France during the Franco Prussian war. Its white dome is a highly visible landmark in the city, and near it artists set up their easels each day.

There is a funnicula that can be used for a small part of the ascent or decent. As we left  Montmartre there is a small red light district and the Moulin Rouge.