Montmartre-top 3

So it's been quite a while since my trip to France, and there's still a lot to share.

You may remember i had a top three for Paris. Number 1 was seeing the Eiffel Tower in its full glory, and waiting til nighttime to see it shimmer. Number 2 was climbing to the top of Notre Dame and taking awesome pictures amongst the gargoyles. Number 3 is Montmarte, a hilltop district accessible via a funicular ride which drops you at the base of Sacre Coeur. If you've ever watched Amelie, this is where the movie takes place.



Rick Steve's recommended restaurant, and my own personal fondue. French fondue people!

The artist square, with people selling art work of the city and caricatures. I almost bought one that showed 2 cats gazing at the Eiffel Tower, but i was holding off for something else.

Is this not the sweetest street? This is the very reason i loved it here, it was very quaint and authentic, once you ventured past the souvenir shops on the way up and actually walked around past Sacre Coeur, which you can see peeking out above the homes.

The restaurant where so many scenes from Amelie take place.


The tiniest little creperie, just that little stall.

 

 

Montmartre's roots in art still linger, like this neat sculpture that shows a man emerging from a wall.

Ah, the Moulin Rouge. At the base of the district, after returning down from the hilltop, it gets a little seedy. And this is where the Moulin Rouge is.

This picture taken from Notre Dame shows how much higher Montmartre is from the rest of Paris, and location relative to the city center. Even though it seemed far out, this also proved to me how large and how small Paris is.

Have you ever been to Montmartre? On a side note, i visited a fashion blog thru a link party b/c the blogger was standing in the middle of a curved street, and i thought i bet that's Montmartre. It was! Am i good or what?!

You can find me all sorts of here: Molly, Coastal Charm, BNOTP, Keeping it Simple, DIY Showoff, Elizabeth & Co. , Stories A-Z, Sugar Bee Crafts, A Stroll Thru Life, Kim Six, Stone Gable, Domestically Speaking, Shanna, Blissful Bee, Savvy Southern Style, Handy Man, Houseologie, Charm of Home, No Minimalist Here, My Romantic Home, Somewhat Simple, Mustard Seed, Just us 4, Wetherills Say i Do, Shabby Nest, My Repurposed Life, Craftberry Bush, French Country Cottage, Chic on Shoestring, LollyJane, Overflowing, House by Hoff, shaken together, Garay Treasures  Thrifty Decor Chick

2014 year in review

Man alive, that was a fast year. Looking back, it was one that was hugely successful in the overall feeling of my home. The living room is done, the dining room is done, the sun room is done. Done is ever changing (see: blog years 2010 to current) but this time done felt D.O.N.E.  With things feeling so right, the blog took a back seat. I didn't decorate for any holidays, since who wants to mess with and clutter up D.O.N.E? There were a lot of link ups and traffic that i missed out on. I'm not sure what 2015 will bring with the blog, but beyond here, there will certainly be vacations taken and cats adored.  And if that's all that's done, well that's alright with me.

The done dining room.
 

The (almost) done living room.


Paris, France.


The DIY patio and yard makeover.


The sun room update.


Alaska cruise portion. The not to be missed land portion.


The only way you knew it was fall.


The (fully) done living room.


What makes it all good.


Thank you for reading in 2014. See you next year....
B





end of year wrap ups at domestically speaking, southern hospitality, beyond the picket fence, Currently @ Dearest Love, Random Wednesday @ Because Shanna Said So, sharing is caring: , thrifty treasures @ southern hospitality, travel photo mondays @ travel photo discovery,   , Monthly projects @ Evolution of Style Make it Pretty Mon @ Dedicated House  inspire me mondays t @ domestically speaking,   Before and After @ Thrifty Decor Chick,    Mod Vintage Life, Motivate Me Mon @Keeping it Simple, persia lou,  home stories a-z, nifty thrifty @ Coastal Charm, be inspired @ elizabeth and co, the scoop @ stone gable,  inspire me tues, lil luna, you're gonna love it @ kimsixfix, get your craft on, sugar bee crafts. your designs this time, inspire me weds @ 733, wow us weds @ savvy southern style,  twirl and take a bow @ house on the way, work it weds @ the blissful bee, outdoor weds @ a southern daydreamer, whimsy wednesday, wicked awesome weds @ handy man, crafty woman, look what i made,  whatever goes weds @ someday crafts, think and make @ houseologie, charm of home, link party palooza @ tatertots and jello, Flaunt it Friday @ Chic on a Shoestring, open house @ no minimalist here, creativity unleashed @ shaken together,inspiration gallery @ Craftberry Bush, Frugal Friday @ The Shabby Nest, my romantic home, jennifer rizzo, Weekend Bloggy Reading @ Serenity now,  furniture fridays @ mustard seed, Feathered Nest @ French Country Cottage, design it fridays @ finding fabulous, best diy @ 36th ave, overflowing w/ creativity @ it's overflowing, nifty thrifty sundays, under the table and dreaming. inspire me please @ liz marie blog,sunday best @ the girl creative  shaken together, 

Views from Notre Dame-top 3

It's impossible to answer with just one thing when people ask what was my favorite part of our Paris vacation. And so, like any list maker, i have settled on a top 3. My previous post on the Eiffel Tower and its gorgeous night views from a small park below is definitely number 1. Number 2 of my favorite things and something not to be missed was climbing the 400 spiral stairs to the top of Notre Dame on a clear day. The views were amazing, the gargoyles were a real treat to see up close, and you came away with the feeling of how accessible Paris is. It's a big city that felt small-to be able to point out Sacre Couer in Montmartre, and see the relation to where the Eiffel Tower was-I can see how this is a walkable city. Also, you didn't really think there'd only be one post about France, did you?  No no no, my friends. No no no.

So going into the church itself is free (get there early, there will be a line), but to climb the towers there is a fee and also a line. Because there isn't a lot of room at the lookout areas, and you're going up small winding steps, they limit the amount of people going in at one time which creates the line.  First you climb to the level with the gargoyles, which is underneath the very tall arched windows at the top.  Then you climb to the towers at the very very top, that you can barely make out from this angle and didn't know were up there until we came out of them.

At an art show, i bought a photo taken at this exact spot, with that exact gargoyle looking out onto the Eiffel tower.  You have no idea how badly i have wanted to recreate that shot myself and this is why one schlepps a DSLR around, even a basic one.

 On the bottom right, at the tip, is the Deportation Memorial honoring and remembering the 200,000 French citizens who were sent to concentration camps during WWII.  As a Jewish person, i seek out my culture in our travels, so in addition to the Deportation Memorial we also went to the Jewish Quarter and the Holocaust Museum in Paris, where they have files of all the Jews who were living in France during that time. This is huge, because for many years the French refuted that those files even existed.

The Sacre Couer basilica, in Montmartre (which was such an adorable place, it rounds out the top 3).

Paris rooftops and the Eiffel Tower. 

Once we were back at street level, we walked around behind it to see the spires and the flying buttresses, those pieces that fan out.  To me those were more impressive than the front and even more impressive from above.


And at sunset.

And the blue hour.


I know many of you shared with me that you went to the top of the Arc de Triomphe or the Eiffel Tower, but has anyone gone to the top of Notre Dame? It is definitely a do not miss.

sharing is caring:  living savvy outdoor extravaganza, thrifty treasures @ southern hospitality, travel photo mondays @ travel photo discovery, places i've been @ the tablescaper,  travel photo thursdays@ budget travelers sandbox , Monthly projects @ Evolution of Style Make it Pretty Mon @ Dedicated House Throwback Thursday @ Sweet Pea, inspire me mondays and power of paint @ domestically speaking, Places I've Been @ The Tablescaper,  Before and After @ Thrifty Decor Chick,   Sundays @ Suburbs Mama  Mod Vintage Life, Motivate Me Mon @Keeping it Simple,  give me the goods @ rain on a tin roof, home stories a-z, nifty thrifty @ Coastal Charm, be inspired @ elizabeth and co, the scoop @ stone gable,  inspire me tues, lil luna, get your craft on, sugar bee crafts. inspire me weds @ 733, wow us weds @ savvy southern style,  work it weds @ the blissful bee, outdoor weds @ a southern daydreamer, whimsy wednesday, wicked awesome weds @ handy man, crafty woman,  whatever goes weds @ someday crafts,  charm of home, link party palooza @ tatertots and jello, Flaunt it Friday @ Chic on a Shoestring, open house @ no minimalist here, creativity unleashed @ shaken together,creative connection @ making home base,  inspiration gallery @ Craftberry Bush, Frugal Friday @ The Shabby Nest, my romantic home, jennifer rizzo, Weekend Bloggy Reading @ Serenity now,  furniture fridays @ mustard seed, Feathered Nest @ French Country Cottage, design it fridays @ finding fabulous, best diy @ 36th ave, overflowing w/ creativity @ it's overflowing, nifty thrifty sundays, under the table and dreaming. inspire me please @ liz marie blog,sunday best @ the girl creative  shaken together, seasonal sundays @ the tablescaper,   sunday soiree @ craftomaniac

That one time? In Paris?

I'm thinking we're going to have to break this into a few posts, and i'm thinking that since the Eiffel Tower is so iconic, it gets to be post number 1. And since it's what we did on day number 1, well, that makes even more sense.

After a 7.5 hour flight we arrived in Vincennes, the smaller town we stayed in that was 10 minute train ride outside of city.  Street markets, family friendly, real sense of local life...and after a week it became "our" bakery, and "our" flower stall.  At night, after being in the city all day, it was us and the locals taking the metro back "home."

Day 1 in Paris looked like this: Find Eiffel Tower.  Stare at long line.  Marvel at structure.  Walk to Rue Cler toting Rick Steve's guide, eat beautiful and colorful quiche at Cafe la Marche, because Rick Steve's recommended it, walk Champs Elysees, hope boyfriend will buy you Louis Vuitton purse (he won't, which you knew yet still hoped ) but he will buy you Laduree macarons (which are heaven and well worth the line) discover your new love of all things pistachio. Walk pedestrian tunnel to Arch de Triomphe.  Eat a macaron before you think about taking pictures (dumb), walk back to Eiffel Tower.  Sit on bench in garden below.  Sit there.  Sit there.  Wait for darkness.  Sit there.  Wait for more darkness so that it will sparkle.  Wonder (stress) what times the metro goes until, run to metro. Write in little travel diary all about your day (boyfriend will ask what you plan to do with this, yet he will insist you do that every night before you forget). Marvel. You're in Paris, my friend.

I loved that we discovered the Eiffel tower the way we did, not hovering above any other structure or seeing it from across the way, but sudden, and in full view.  I had read that the best views of the tower can be seen from the Trocadero, so we took the train to that exit and turned to find ourselves face to face with it. First the selfies, then the sillies.



 Seriously this thing is massive.

thecapeonthecorner.blogspot.com

thecapeonthecorner.blogspot.com

This traffic was crazy, and a pedestrian path is totally necessary.

thecapeonthecorner.blogspot.com

We didn't go to the top of the tower because what i really wanted was to have the tower actually in my pictures.  Sitting below the tower, watching it light up, was one of the top three things for me on this trip.  It was just that moment that makes it real, that you are on vacation, to somewhere new and exciting, crossing another spot off your bucket list. Know what i mean?

Share with me some of your "this is real" vacation moments, would ya?

sharing is caring: thrifty treasures @ southern hospitality, travel photo mondays @ travel photo discovery, places i've been @ the tablescaper,  travel photo thursdays@ budget travelers sandbox , Monthly projects @ Evolution of Style Make it Pretty Mon @ Dedicated House Throwback Thursday @ Sweet Pea, inspire me mondays and power of paint @ domestically speaking, inspire me mondays @ , Places I've Been @ The Tablescaper,  Before and After @ Thrifty Decor Chick,   Sundays @ Suburbs Mama  Mod Vintage Life, Motivate Me Mon @Keeping it Simple,  give me the goods @ rain on a tin roof, home stories a-z, nifty thrifty @ Coastal Charm, be inspired @ elizabeth and co, the scoop @ stone gable,  inspire me tues, lil luna, get your craft on, sugar bee crafts. inspire me weds @ 733, wow us weds @ savvy southern style,  work it weds @ the blissful bee, outdoor weds @ a southern daydreamer, whimsy wednesday, wicked awesome weds @ handy man, crafty woman,  whatever goes weds @ someday crafts,  charm of home,  open house @ no minimalist here, link party palooza @ tatertots and jello, Flaunt it Friday @ Chic on a Shoestring, open house @ no minimalist here, creativity unleashed @ shaken together,creative connection @ making home base,  inspiration gallery @ Craftberry Bush, Frugal Friday @ The Shabby Nest, my romantic home, jennifer rizzo, Weekend Bloggy Reading @ Serenity now,  furniture fridays @ mustard seed, Feathered Nest @ French Country Cottage, design it fridays @ finding fabulous, best diy @ 36th ave, thrifty things fri @ the thrifty groove,  overflowing w/ creativity @ it's overflowing, nifty thrifty sundays, under the table and dreaming. inspire me please @ liz marie blog,sunday best @ the girl creative  shaken together, seasonal sundays @ the tablescaper,   sunday soiree @ craftomaniac