We stumbled upon a wine festival

We went to Montmartre to see street art … and to walk the same streets where Monet and Renoir became famous during the Belle Époque, where Toulouse-Lautrec immortalized the Moulin Rouge in his art.

Carefree, Lightness and Joy of Life describe the Belle Époque, a unique period in the history of France between two wars, rich in culture, where social barriers fade and industrial progress gives everyone the hope of living better

http://www.moulinrouge.fr/?lang=en

We got waylaid on our walk by the Montmartre Grape Harvest Festival.

How great is that!

We joined more than half a million visitors on the streets surrounding Sacré-Cœur Basilica, eating, drinking and soaking in breathtaking views of Paris on a beautiful fall afternoon in Paris.

Carefree, Lightness and Joy of Life describe our day. We lived the Belle Époque.

Our plan was to hike up to Sacré-Cœur Basilica, the highest landmark in Paris

We followed the signs to Montmartre … to the steps to Sacré-Cœur …. 222 steps to the top!

It looked like a looooooong way to the top

We arrived at the top of Paris

We were rewarded with stunning views of Sacré-Cœur, framed by fall colours in all their glory.

We walked around to the front of Sacré-Cœur … and stumbled into a wine festival, one of the most popular events in Paris. After our magical recovery from our airbnb disaster, we felt like we were once again sprinkled with magic Paris dust.

We planned on a ten minute visit to Sacré-Cœur … and stayed for four hours at the wine festival!

The Grape Harvest Festival is fun fun fun

Montmartre has been celebrating the grape harvest since 1934. For three glorious days, in the second weekend in October, you can enjoy parades, music, culture, wine, food and fun, just by showing up. You can enjoy wines from every region in France for €5 a glass. 

Take in views of Paris from the steps of Sacré-Cœur

During the Grape Harvest Festival, you can enjoy the best wines of France while taking in the views.

Visit a vineyard in the heart of Paris

The first Grape Harvest Festival was held in 1934 to celebrate vines that were planted in the Montmartre vineyard the year before. The vineyard was created to stop developers from purchasing the lands. The vineyard is on the north side of the hill, not ideal for growing grapes. As the New York Times says, this is the most expensive bad wine in all of Paris.

The Montmartre vineyard is closed to visitors most of the year but is open during the Grape Harvest Festival. 

This secret Parisian vineyard is located behind the Musée de Montmartre. We didn’t visit the museum or the vineyard, as we were waylaid by the Festival. The collections in the museum contain paintings, photographs, posters and manuscripts that depict the history of the neighbourhood, its effervescence, and bohème. The gardens, which overlook the vineyard, have been renovated to look like Renoir’s paintings set in Montmartre. On our next visit during the Grape Harvest Festival, I will be sure to take a stroll through the gardens and the vineyard.

I took this photo of grapes at a Nova Scotia vineyard, Petite Rivière Vineyards, that is growing French grapes and producing wines using French methods and traditions:
http://www.petiterivierevineyards.ca/

We toasted our wonderful discovery of the Grape Harvest Festival

Absinthe was popular with Parisian artists and writers during the Belle Epoque

We didn’t try the absinthe.

Is this a quintessential French image?

Accordion music is popular in Montmartre. The accordion is known as the poor man’s piano.

Traditional attire is perfect at the Grape Harvest Festival

Escargot anyone?

The Grape Harvest Festival is more than just wines. It is a gastronomic extravaganza, featuring exotic and traditional French fare.

Oysters anyone?

Anyone for fois gras?

How about a croque monsieur?

We bought a heaping dish of tartiflette

Tartiflette is a traditional dish of potatoes sautéed with ham or bacon and reblochon cheese. After sampling delicious French wines, a hearty dish of tartiflette is perfect.

With our wine and tartiflette, we took in the views of Paris

After four, very fun, hours at the Grape Harvest Festival, we decided to take a break from all the festivities and go inside Sacré-Cœur for a look. It’s a lovely church!

This is the interior of Sacré-Cœur

If you want a few quiet moments of joy and peace, this is a perfect spot.

The late afternoon sun streamed in through the stunning stained glass windows

This is the stunning North Dome in Sacré-Cœur

My little travel camera cannot capture the range of light inside a church, from the darkest recesses to the afternoon sunlight streaming through the stained glass windows. Trust me, the experience is much more beautiful and overwhelming than this photo can convey.

We found the street artists in Montmarte!

A very short walk from Sacré-Cœur brought us to a lovely square with bars, restaurants and street artists. Could the future Monet or Renoir or Picasso be in the square?

Do you buy street art when you travel?

Wish I had bought this painting!

We had a memorable afternoon, trekking up 222 steps, discovering the Grape Harvest Festival, feasting on the best French foods, toasting family and friendship with the best French wines, feeling joy in a beautiful church, and finding the street art that took us to Montmarte.

It was time to wander down through the streets of Montmartre and back to our posh airbnb on Foch.

You can shop for dinner as you walk down the streets of Montmartre

The fish market sells all the ingredients for a perfect at-home dinner

We stumbled upon the Moulin Rouge!

Let your hair fly!

The air shaft over the subway at Moulin Rouge is an Instagram setting. Lots of people took turns, posing over the airshaft, letting their hair fly.

This photo just sums up our day … having the best time where the wind blows us

We took lots of photos (not posted here) of us doing the high-kick, with the Moulin Rouge in the background, auditioning for the chorus line in the can-can, with Toulouse-Lautrec and Georges Seurat immortalizing our image on canvas.

Carefree, Lightness and Joy of Life …

We lived the Belle Époque for a day at the Montmartre Grape Harvest Festival in Paris!