Off the Beaten Track

Although it's interesting to plan trips to all the " must-sees" in Paris, often the "tourist trap" dynamic takes away from the beauty of popular sights. We noticed this when we arrived at Sacré Coeur Basilica in the Montmartre district of Paris. In contrast to the majestic white cathedral, there were street hawkers, shiny carousels, trinket shops, and hip hop artists all vying for our attention in a circus atmosphere that seemed to have very little to do with the amazing view of the city, the magic of the surrounding old cafés, and the Basilica itself.






We decided to bring a picnic lunch with us as we had read that cafés in the area were usually over-priced and crowded, and so we left the Basilica area to look for a nice place to relax and eat our lunch. We meandered through the bustling Place du Tertre and enjoyed looking at the work of many artists who were selling their work in this 18th century square.





We were delighted to find a shady park bench on a quiet side street across from Au Lapin Agile, a cabaret restaurant opened in the mid 1800's. It was here that famous artists like Picasso and Modigliani would share a table and discuss their art ideas.
Somehow, it made the picnic food taste even better just thinking about the surrounding history.





Both Angie and I love the quirky but sweet French movie called "Amélie." Since it was filmed in Montmartre, we decided to walk down from the Basilica area to find the café where much of the movie was filmed and where the main character Amélie worked. We loved exploring the quiet side streets we had to take to get there and rewarded ourselves with a coffee and Amélie's favourite crême brûlée when we found her café!



Can you see Amélie's (Audrey Tatou) face peeking out from the back of the café?









Although, we enjoyed seeing Sacré Coeur and the surrounding sights, this certainly was the highlight of the day! Taking walks off the beaten track, window shopping, or as the french say...faire du lèche-vitrine, (which literally means window licking) and taking in the everyday moments of Parisian culture is what truly makes moments memorable. We are fortunate to have many Paris guides and resources available to us here at the apartment. One of our favourites has been a box of cards outlining various walking tours in the city. There is always so much to see on the side streets and less known areas of the city.




And, of course, the spring weather is perfect for comfortable walking while giving us the added treat of watching tree blossoms come to life!