Montmartre and Beer

A few years ago when Mike was in Paris, he did not make it to Montmartre.  As soon as I learned this, I knew that we would have to go see it together.  After all, one of my favorite movies takes place in this part of Paris. 

We got a bit of a late start, but ended up in front of the Sacré Cœur around noon.  By some stroke of luck, we managed to find a less crowded staircase for the climb up the hill.  When we got to the top though, there was no shortage of people.  And it is easy to understand why as this spot has one of the best views of Paris. 

We walked around for a little bit and then decided to go to the Musée de Montmartre.  I had read about it here and thought that it looked really cool.  I have also been to Montmartre a few times and wanted to see something new, so this looked perfect. 

The museum opened up in 1960 in order to preserve the history of this area of Paris.  It was really fascinating to learn about the artists who spent time here.  Renior actually painted two paintings in the garden at the museum.  The painting below, The Swing, was one of them.  A similar swing where you can sit and have a photo snapped of you has been installed there. 

 

via

Not only are there beautiful gardens at the museum, but there is also a vineyard!  I love that in the middle of the hustle and bussel of Paris, there is a fully functional vineyard that produces 1,000 bottles of wine annually.  To me, it provided a sense of calm you rarely get in a large city.

We continued through the rest museum, learning about the history of Montmarte and its famous artists while looking at their work.  We both really enjoyed it and strongly suggest that you check it out if you are in the area and looking for something to do that isn't overrun with tourists. 

Since we hadn't eaten at all that day, we decided that a late lunch was in order.  This part of Montmartre can be crawling with pricy tourist traps that we wanted to avoid, so Mike and I consulated our TripAdvisor app for other options.  Just on the other side of the Sacré Cœur there was a pizza place that looked cheap and sounded good.  I know, it's just like when we were in Peru, but we were starving and the price was right.  If you are ever at Sacré Cœur and looking for a place to eat, check out La Babalou.  

If you look closely, you can see the Sacré Cœur in the window. 

Since we were full of pizza, we decided that we needed beer.  We did some research before we left and found a beer bar called La Fine Mousse near Père Lachaise.  They only serve French beers here, which is pretty cool.  Personally, I wasn't a huge fan of what I had, but Mike seemed to really like it.  But I do have to say, the space where the bar is located was pretty cool. 

I love that every time I come to Paris, I discover something new.  And this time was no different.