Montmartre & Sacré Coeur Walking Tour, Paris

On our last full day in Paris, we went to Montmartre, a part of the city we’d never visited. (We ended up regretting taking a cab since several Seine River crossings were closed due to a road race, but we made it just in time after a half-hour drive that should’ve taken much less time.) We are so grateful that Josée scheduled this for our final morning—the juxtaposition of this part of the city with the other areas we’d been in was just incredible. Our tour guide, Florencia, was a last-minute substitute since the person who was supposed to be our guide had to cancel due to a family emergency. Florencia was nervous since this was the first-ever tour she’d led independently, but she did a wonderful job! She was knowledgeable, passionate about history, and very warm and friendly. We had just rewatched the film Amelie on the big screen a month or so ago in our hometown, so it was a special treat to see sites from that movie, and we were delighted to be introduced to the singer Dalida and her story—we’ve been listening to her music ever since! We made all sorts of connections between the art we’d seen at Musée d’Orsay and the sites we saw in Monmartre, and it was quite special to walk up to Sacré Cœur and take in the view of the city from the hill.
After climbing down the long steps from Sacré Cœur, Florencia led us to a metro stop, and we went back to our hotel to get ready for our vow renewal/photo shoot, the raison d’être of our anniversary trip.

It was great - we learned so much about the area that we otherwise would not have ever discovered. It’s a really great excursion. Mathias was great!

I did not go on this tour because of the stairs and amount of walking. Plus it was the last day and at 83 I just didn't have the energy! I hated to miss it and know Mathias did a great job.