It turns out that frigid temperatures and snow are one way to cut down on the tourists and making things feel touristy at all. Wandering up to Montmartre and Sacre Coeur the neighborhood was practically desolate, in high contrast to any other day of the year. I realized I had never seen Place Montmartre without oddles of people (ahem, tourists) and artisans (trying to get rich off of tourists) that I hardly recognized the place.
Of course the snow made maneuvering around hilly Montmartre a bit dicey, but it was a wet snow and part of the adventure.
And just as with our morning visit to the Musee D’Orsay, we realized what a welcome relief “NO PHOTOGRAPHY” is when visiting these places. Overwhelmed and turned off by Notre Dame, Sacre Coeur actually felt like a church and not a touristy museum. And inside the Musee D’Orsay we realized how refreshing it was that people were not clued to their cell phones or behind the lens of a camera – instead they were actually taking in the art and the incredible space. Sadly, a novel concept these days.