Angelina Hue

While looking though my photos for this week’s Space Invader, I started listening to the street recordings of Paris by Des Coulam on his blog for inspiration. Here’s an animated recording that he created: A Soundwalk in Montmartre and I’d suggest that you leave the soundwalk playing as you continue reading this post…

23 December 2008: I had just arrived in Paris. It was my first visit to the City of Light. After dropping off my backpack at AB’s place, we took the metro to Montmartre in the 18th arrondissement and walked up to the Basilique du Sacré-Coeur. While I was surprised by the sight of this immense white stone monument, I was even more taken aback by the sea of tourists at its steps!

Paris is shaped like a basin, where the city centre is at the bottom while areas further out, such as Montmartre, are on a higher height. Located at the top of la butte de Montmartre, the hill of Montmartre, the Sacré-Coeur offers a panoramic view of Paris. Which explains the huge number of tourists in the area.Interesting fact about le Sacré-Coeur: It is built of travertine stone, which continuously produces calcite deposits that help keep the church relatively white.

This photo of a Space Invader at Montmartre was taken on another day – near the funicular which will bring you up the hill to the Sacré-Coeur, when I was showing my friend from Singapore around Paris. I like how the Space Invader looks like it is attacking Paris and everyone in the photo is oblivious of it!