Day 3: An Art-Themed Tour of Montmartre

On day three, the group headed to Montmartre, where we met with our excellent tour guide, Brigitte, for a walking tour around the neighborhood. We loved this tour because it was packed with many fascinating connections to art and film! We saw Renoir’s home, Van Gogh’s apartment, and the grocery store from the movie Amelie. We also learned about a few new-to-us literary gems like the short story “Le Passe-Muraille,” a tale about a man who could walk through walls.

The neighborhood was hilly and beautiful, and we ended the walk at the famed basilica Sacré-Coeur. If you’ve ever seen the film "An American In Paris," you’ll know the neighborhood and the stunning view of Paris you can see from the hilltop.

Connecting with Locals

We always try to learn more about our hobbies and broaden our horizons by seeking out how people in other places pursue the same interests. After the group tour concluded, we had some free time and decided to take the funicular to browse the many fabric shops that were located just at the bottom of the hill. Jess is a hobby seamstress and was delighted to get the chance to wade amongst the endless bolts of fabric and see the professional seamstresses zipping around.

We then returned to the top of the hill to stroll and window-shop. We wound up in a pet shop, where Bill unthinkingly said “Bonjour” to a dog, which was funny to everyone present and led to a lovely conversation with store patrons. We decided to buy a souvenir for our puppy Rigby, and Bill even got to practice French a bit with the cashier, who patiently helped pronounce the numbers in the price.

Eating in a Renoir Painting

We hadn’t made dinner plans but remembered passing Le Moulin de la Galette, the windmill-topped restaurant from the famous Renoir painting. We got a table there, where we both ordered beef bourguignon and took our time savoring the French specialty.

The Rodin Museum

After lunch, we took the metro across the river to the area near our hotel to see the Rodin Museum at Marie’s recommendation. It was an extraordinary sculpture garden that houses The Thinker and the famous sculpture "The Gates of Hell". In addition to the art, the topiaries in the garden were also like sculptures and clipped to perfection. This was one of our favorite spots of the day, and we marked the occasion by buying a miniature Thinker statue in a wooden crate to take home with us.

Les Invalides

Next, we visited the museum Les Invalides, with its beautiful golden dome. Here, we saw Napoleon’s tomb, an imposing sarcophagus that was larger than life. We also visited the Museum of the Order of the Liberation, where we learned about the heroic stories of French Resistance members who helped liberate France during World War II. It was a moving experience that we highly recommend.

Finally, we returned to the hotel for a low-key evening of pastries at Laurent B. and washed a load of laundry. We then went out for a group dinner and a Seine river cruise. The cruise around the illuminated skyline was stunning, and we got an incredible view of Notre Dame and other landmarks at night. It was even perfectly timed to watch the Eiffel Tower sparkling!