1. Montmartre has long been one of my favorite neighborhoods of Paris. For years, I wanted to live at the top of the steep hill overlooking the city. While I do recognize that that might be cumbersome – especially coming home after a long day – there’s something about this part of the city that keeps bringing me back.
2. As compared to other parts of the city, Montmartre is particularly picturesque. Unlike central Paris, which was redesigned in the 19th century by the Baron Haussmann, Montmartre still retains its old-fashioned charm and winding cobbled streets.
3. Seeing as the former village was also built at the top of the aforementioned hill, this makes for some pretty unique vistas.
4. It’s always interesting to imagine what it would be like if your front door didn’t line up with the street, or if you had to climb a flight of stairs to make it to your building. It’s rife with possibilities for stories, which is likely why so many – from the film Amélie to the short story Le Passe-Muraille – have been set here.
5. The neighborhood’s most famous emblem – the Sacré Coeur basilica – is visible from nearly everywhere you go. It peeks out from between buildings or stands tall over winding streets. Capturing it from below brings out its stark whiteness, which comes from the calcite in the stone used to build it: rain essentially turns calcite into a bleach-like solution, which means that in the damp capital, it’s constantly being whitened.