We struggled a bit getting there, as one of the subway lines was shut down, so we took the long way. We waited too long to get on the tramway; we could have walked up and down three times during the time that we were waiting in line. By this time it was very hot.
The site is the hill of Montemarte, where the first bishop of Paris, Saint Denis, was beheaded. Monte-martre means hill of martyrs. This was an affordable area for artists to live and work in the mid-19th century. This is the highest point in Paris.
The church is huge and impressive, dedicated to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. It was built around 1900, after the French Revolution had destroyed many churches. However, there were so many visitors that it took away some of the spiritual aspects of the visit.
We stopped for a coke, and then took the subway to the Musee d'Orangerie, built especially for Claude Monet's massive series of canvases of his gardens. When we came out of the subway, it was like stepping into a furnace. When we reached the museum, we had to wait in line, luckily in the shade.
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| Egyptian Oblisk in the foreground, Eifel Tower in Background, from the Tullieries. |
The huge oil paintings were Monet's last major work, and a gift to the people of Paris. All the paintings were of the pond of Giverny, which was Monet's primary subject in the last 40 years of his life.
Downstairs, we saw a traveling show of Italian painters of the mid-1800s, and other impressionist works.
The ride home on the bus was hot and miserable.
We went to Le Temps de Cerises restaurant, a worker's cooperative recommended by Lonely Planet, but we were not impressed. We did enjoy the residential neighborhood that it was located in, with a street full of bars and restaurants, including an Irish Pub.
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