Dream Trip 2009

Great Travel Moment

While visiting Paris, we decided that a visit to Montmartre was a must as the spectacular view from the Sacré-Coeur overlooking the city was so frequently recommended. While the interior of the basilica was sublimely peaceful, the atmosphere outside was more carnival-like than we had anticipated: tap dancers and entrepreneurs alike hoping to entice a few coins from the tourists. The view was certainly expansive but to be honest a little disappointing: perhaps it had been overly built-up in our minds. Walking downhill we encountered yet another view of the city in the distance, but this time the foreground was more evocative of what I had imagined: the outdoor café with the simple tables and chairs; the umbrellas; the lone patron absorbed in a book; the menu written in chalk; the narrow picturesque street beckoning us down the hill to the most beautiful city in the world.