Traveling USA

Montmartre is a fascinating mixture of old and new, seedy and sacred, bizarre and blas?�. Within this section of Paris, technically the 18th arrondissement, there is everything from Moulin Rouge and Mus?�e d’Erotisme to the Sacr?� Coeur Basilica. There are several art shops, a Dali museum and even a winery.

(Note: An ‘arrondissement’ is a district, laid out around Paris clockwise, with the 1st at the center of the clock face.)

There are steep hills in parts, so be prepared for a hike, particularly up to the Basilica. But there are cobblestoned streets, too, with antique shops and ‘bistros’.

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Second only to the Eiffel Tower as the recognized symbol of France, the Cath?�drale Notre Dame is both a tourist destination and a working church.

Built between 1163AD and 1345AD the Gothic masterpiece remains today one of the world’s great structures. The enormous interior can seat 6,000 at the base. But, for many, the major attraction is the 387-step climb to the top of the famous towers.

Once reached via that winding, narrow passageway the visitor enters a large area dominated by a huge church bell and spectacular sights. From here it’s easy to imagine the fictional Quasimodo (the Hunchback of Notre Dame) ringing the 13-ton bell and clambering on the gargoyles around the perimeter.

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‘Maison’ is French for ‘house’. In this case the word is slightly misleading. While no palace, though sited in the Place des Vosges - originally known as Place Royale - the site is no simple domicile. These sprawling apartments were the home of the famed writer between 1832 and 1848. Hugo fled from the revolution in that year.

Hugo was the author of such well-known (if less widely read) works such as Les Mis?�rables and The Hunchback of Notre Dame. He also penned lesser known, but far superior works, such as Ninety-Three and The Man Who Laughs.

A treat even for those with only a passing interest in literature, the Victor Hugo museum is chock full of drawings, mementos, 19th century furniture and more. The Chinese salon from Hugo’s house on Guernsey has been relocated here, as well.

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Though less artistic than its older cousin of Porte Saint-Denis, the Arc de Triomphe de l’Etoile is the more famous and far larger. Set atop the hill of Chaillot it forms the center from which radiates a dozen busy Parisian avenues.

There are in fact several “Arc de Triomphe’s” in Paris. A large arch with two thick towers surmounted by a large horizontal section has been a popular architectural feature since the time of Louis XIV (the ‘14th’) in the late 17th century.

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Not merely a boulevard, the Champs-Elys?�es has justly earned its name. In Greek mythology, the Elysian Fields was the resting place of heroes who dwelt in perfect happiness. Fortunately, visitors don’t have to die to reach it. Though you may think so after making your way through the French airports and into Paris.

This tree-lined avenue begins at the Arc de Triomphe and ends 2km (1.2mi) east at the Egyptian Obelisk, through the 8th arrondissement. An ‘arrondissement’ is a district. Paris is divided into twenty with the first at the center and the others winding clockwise around it.

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