As I sat flipping through my old passport last evening, it brought back memories of my trip to France in 2003. Oh how I long to take that trip all over again and absorb all the Parisian old world charm as I possibly can!

And hence the title of this post I Left My Heart In Paris...hoping to go back one day and lose it all over again. (And yes, after my last post, I wouldn’t mind running in to Catherine Baba whilst I’m there as well.)

Anyways, the first memory that comes to my mind when I think of Paris is no, not the Eiffel Tower that looks so majestic in post cards but not so much in person but its Montmartre (Mount of Mars). It is set on a hill in Northern Paris, instantly recognizable through its main landmark Basilique de Sacre Coeur. I discovered the steps of Rue Foyatier leading up to the Basilica quite by chance and as I followed hordes of tourists up the stairs I discover one of the most stunning and panoramic views of Paris (for free!)

I had been seeing photographs of the Basilica and Rue Foyatier in magazines for years but never knew exactly where they were.  And to have unexpectedly discovered these while casually strolling around my hotel made for my most memorable evening in Paris. 

Here are some pretty pictures of Montmartre. 

 

{via Weheartit}

The streets around the hill are some of the most romantic in Paris and the scenes from the carousel in the film Amelie were shot here. The steep side streets, the classic Parisian lamps, the village like atmosphere atop the mountain, everything in Montmartre oozes old world charm.

Paris has a tendency to pull its tourists in multiple directions all at once, but climbing those steps to the Basilica of the Sacred Heart and sitting outside it to watch the sun go down definitely is my number one thing to do when in Paris. As Catherine Baba might describe it, J’adore daaaaarling!

"If you are lucky enough to have lived in Paris as a young man, then wherever you go for the rest of your life, it stays with you, for Paris is a moveable feast." ~ Ernest Hemingway