Day 10 - Montmartre, France (2011)

Our last day in Brussels and we hated to say goodbye. Not only to this wonderful city but also to our hosts' lovely home. But we were just halfway into our Europe holiday and there were still a few more cities and countries waiting for us.

We initially planned to leave early, but then again we wanted to savor our last home-cooked breakfast, and the kids still wanted to play charades! Yes, our early morning departure became mid-day journey. But we had loads of fun, specially because we, my time, were the champions!

Ira's turn to act out

after the fun and games, before we got too tired to drive, we brought all our stuff down, loaded them in the cars, and prepared for our 300km journey to Montmartre, Paris, France. 

That's another country added to our list.

 a short stopover to stretch our legs, and fill our stomachs

our MPVs

Finding a good parking space wasn't that easy even with the help of our GPS. We drove around for a few minutes and were finally able to find a good parking spot. But the other car was nowhere in sight. That meant they had to look for their own parking space and we would just meet at the top of the hill. By hill, I mean Montmartre, a 130m high vantage point to see the city.

waiting for our travelmates - calling them thru our walkie talkies. Yes, we brought them along, just in case. And there were very useful in times like this.

checking out if we are heading the right direction - although the basilica was obviously right in front of us

at the top of Montmarte

the Sacre-Couer Basilica located at the top of butte Montmarte (the highest point in the city)

when we arrived there it was already late in the afternoon. We thought we may be too late to appreciate the view of the city since it's getting dark. But when my husband showed us this picture I realized it was worth driving up there that late in the afternoon. It was like the heaven is opening it's gate for us. It was really a sight to remember.

on top of the ledge just in front of the basilica

there were a lot of tourists sitting on the staircase, admiring the view of the city, while other locals (i would assume they were locals) were performing tricks for the tourists. There was one who was doing some soccer exhibition, on top of the ledge!

we stayed in Montmarte until it was dark. It was worth the wait. It gave us a different side of the basilica with all the lights turned on to put it in the spotlight.