My friend and I spent the afternoon in Montmartre before the fireworks in the evening.
Montmartre is a district which is at a higher elevation than the rest of Paris, and the famous Basilica of Sacré Coeur is built at the highest point of the hill. The trip up the steps to Sacré Coeur and the view downhill from the top did, interestingly, feel somewhat similar to the Spanish steps in Rome. The Basilica also had a tower which was visited by surprisingly few tourists. We took advantage of it and we took in the beautiful views at a leisurely pace while enjoying the cool breeze.
Sacré Coeur was surrounded by plenty of restaurants and souvenir shops. There were also some buskers who drew crowds of visitors in the middle of the streets, and the local traffic had to fight hard against those spectators.
On the way downhill to Moulin Rouge, we traversed through the many steep narrow streets with steps, in between the typical small residential buildings. We also walked past a grocery store which my friend immediately recognised as a familiar scene in the French film Amélie for the store was frequented by the main character of the film. My friend got very excited and talked incessantly about the film. We later wandered into a DVD shop, and I was talked into buying a DVD of Amélie by my friend and the shop owner. This is indeed a very special souvenir, as I only found out now that the film was shot in Montmartre. But I am still yet to take up the challenge to watch the DVD, which came without English subtitles!
未看國慶煙花前，我和朋友去蒙馬特區玩一個下午。
蒙馬特區地勢比巴黎其他地方高，而著名的聖心教堂就建於全區最高點，無論從山下拾級而上，或從山上居高臨下，感覺都有點像羅馬的西班牙石階（Spanish steps）。聖心教堂也有塔樓，但當日登塔者甚少，所以可悠然在塔頂飽覽巴黎全景，感受陣陣涼風，順道納涼。
聖心教堂附近餐廳、紀念品店甚多，亦有不少街頭賣藝者，吸引遊人停在路中心欣賞，弄得交通擁擠。
我們從山上走到山腳的紅磨坊，途經不少又窄又斜的石階路，穿插於矮矮的民房中，令我想起香港中環半山的街道。我們路經一家水果店，朋友一眼便認出是法國電影Amélie內女主角常常光顧的店鋪，興奮莫名，對該電影談個不停，後來走進一家影視店逛逛，在朋友及店主慫恿下，我結果買了該電影的DVD，算是一份特別的手信吧。（我到現在才知道Amélie就是在蒙馬特區取景的。）DVD並無英文字幕，這次可真考驗我的法文了！
Basilica of Sacré Coeur 聖心教堂
Left: The Basilica on the hill; Centre: One of the fountains in the terrace en route to the top ; Right: one of the entrances to the Basilica
左：山上的聖心教堂、中：位於半山的瞭望臺的噴水池、右：教堂其中一道大門
Left: Inside the tower of Sacré Coeur; Centre and Right: The various buildings of the Basilica
左：塔樓內、中及右：教堂的建築物
The view of Paris from the Terrace (left) and the Tower (centre and right)
從瞭望臺（左）及塔樓（中、右）的巴黎景色
The streets of Montmartre 蒙馬特區街景
The narrow streets with steps in Montmartre (Left: Rue de Mont-Cenis; Right: Rue Drevet)
蒙馬特區又窄又斜的石階道
Buskers and artists 街頭賣藝
Artistic Montmartre -
Top left: cinematography (The grocery store featured in the film Amélie),
Top right: surrealism (Espace Dalí, exhibition of Salvador Dalí), and
Bottom left: musical dance (Moulin Rouge)
蒙馬特區的不同藝術 ——左上：電影（Amélie片中的水果店）、右上：超現實藝術（藝術家薩爾瓦多‧達利之展覽）、左下：歌舞（紅磨坊）
Montmartre is a district which is at a higher elevation than the rest of Paris, and the famous Basilica of Sacré Coeur is built at the highest point of the hill. The trip up the steps to Sacré Coeur and the view downhill from the top did, interestingly, feel somewhat similar to the Spanish steps in Rome. The Basilica also had a tower which was visited by surprisingly few tourists. We took advantage of it and we took in the beautiful views at a leisurely pace while enjoying the cool breeze.
Sacré Coeur was surrounded by plenty of restaurants and souvenir shops. There were also some buskers who drew crowds of visitors in the middle of the streets, and the local traffic had to fight hard against those spectators.
On the way downhill to Moulin Rouge, we traversed through the many steep narrow streets with steps, in between the typical small residential buildings. We also walked past a grocery store which my friend immediately recognised as a familiar scene in the French film Amélie for the store was frequented by the main character of the film. My friend got very excited and talked incessantly about the film. We later wandered into a DVD shop, and I was talked into buying a DVD of Amélie by my friend and the shop owner. This is indeed a very special souvenir, as I only found out now that the film was shot in Montmartre. But I am still yet to take up the challenge to watch the DVD, which came without English subtitles!
未看國慶煙花前，我和朋友去蒙馬特區玩一個下午。
蒙馬特區地勢比巴黎其他地方高，而著名的聖心教堂就建於全區最高點，無論從山下拾級而上，或從山上居高臨下，感覺都有點像羅馬的西班牙石階（Spanish steps）。聖心教堂也有塔樓，但當日登塔者甚少，所以可悠然在塔頂飽覽巴黎全景，感受陣陣涼風，順道納涼。
聖心教堂附近餐廳、紀念品店甚多，亦有不少街頭賣藝者，吸引遊人停在路中心欣賞，弄得交通擁擠。
我們從山上走到山腳的紅磨坊，途經不少又窄又斜的石階路，穿插於矮矮的民房中，令我想起香港中環半山的街道。我們路經一家水果店，朋友一眼便認出是法國電影Amélie內女主角常常光顧的店鋪，興奮莫名，對該電影談個不停，後來走進一家影視店逛逛，在朋友及店主慫恿下，我結果買了該電影的DVD，算是一份特別的手信吧。（我到現在才知道Amélie就是在蒙馬特區取景的。）DVD並無英文字幕，這次可真考驗我的法文了！
Basilica of Sacré Coeur 聖心教堂
Left: The Basilica on the hill; Centre: One of the fountains in the terrace en route to the top ; Right: one of the entrances to the Basilica
左：山上的聖心教堂、中：位於半山的瞭望臺的噴水池、右：教堂其中一道大門
Left: Inside the tower of Sacré Coeur; Centre and Right: The various buildings of the Basilica
左：塔樓內、中及右：教堂的建築物
The view of Paris from the Terrace (left) and the Tower (centre and right)
從瞭望臺（左）及塔樓（中、右）的巴黎景色
The streets of Montmartre 蒙馬特區街景
The narrow streets with steps in Montmartre (Left: Rue de Mont-Cenis; Right: Rue Drevet)
蒙馬特區又窄又斜的石階道
Buskers and artists 街頭賣藝
Artistic Montmartre -
Top left: cinematography (The grocery store featured in the film Amélie),
Top right: surrealism (Espace Dalí, exhibition of Salvador Dalí), and
Bottom left: musical dance (Moulin Rouge)
蒙馬特區的不同藝術 ——左上：電影（Amélie片中的水果店）、右上：超現實藝術（藝術家薩爾瓦多‧達利之展覽）、左下：歌舞（紅磨坊）
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