The area of Montmartre in Paris, located in the hilly area overlooking the rest of the city and topped by Sacre-Coeur Basicilica, is somewhat seedy and slightly disreputable. This has been its history all along – think Moulin Rouge, bohemian artists, Toulouse-Lautrec and cabarets. It’s colorful and very much unlike the other neighborhoods of Paris.

This is “Le mur des je t’aime” – the wall of I Love You, the phrase written out in every known language.

One of the charming, twisting streets of Montmartre.

I messed up my pictures of Sacre-Coeur somehow (still learning how to set exposure on my camera), but this somewhat errie shot (white church against cloudy sky) might be considered artistic by some! (Haha)

Some of the many many many steps in Montmartre.

A bit of the view from Sacre-Coeur. We’ve had excellent weather, but this morning was quite grey until later in the day, obscuring what should be a spectacular view.

Overall, an interesting area but not my favorite. It is somewhat marred by an abundance of pickpockets (there are signs everywhere with warnings) a large variety of scammers, beggars and hundreds of tourists. I’m happy to leave this neighborhood to Toulouse-Lautrec and his vivid paintings.