Sacré Coeur from the Buttes Chaumont

One of the most iconic views of Paris has to be of Sacré Coeur, the crowning glory of Montmartre. There is a wonderful eclectic mix of architectural styles in Paris, as in any city; but it is the abundance of green parks and tree filled squares that makes city so special and softens the lines of some of the more starkly modern buildings. Here old and new sit side by side, the winter sun caressing the trees and the Basilica so beautifully against the clear blue sky. Incongruous as the newer buildings are in the company of their elderly neighbours, here they seem indistinct and subdued, unable to compete with the architectural wonder in the distance.