Montmartre of Paris!

Montmartre is a fascinating mixture of old and new, seedy and sacred, bizarre and blasé. Within this section of Paris, technically the 18th arrondissement, there is everything from Moulin Rouge and Musée d'Erotisme to the Sacré Coeur Basilica. There are several art shops, a Dali museum and even a winery.

(Note: An 'arrondissement' is a district, laid out around Paris clockwise, with the 1st at the center of the clock face.)

There are steep hills in parts, so be prepared for a hike, particularly up to the Basilica. But there are cobblestoned streets, too, with antique shops and 'bistros'.

The word 'bistro' comes from the Russian meaning 'quick'. It was first imported in the early 19th century by Cossack occupiers who wanted to be fed immediately. Everything from frogs legs to Tarte Tatin is served at spots as old as 1793 in the Place du Tertre.

At the Espace Montmartre one can view an original Dali etching and browse to the glares of the staff. The museum houses Dali sculpture, lithographs, drawings and even some furniture pieces.

For a different art experience visit the Musée de Montmartre. This 17th century house holds apartments once occupied by Renoir, Utrillo and other famous names. Renoir's Galette, sold at auction in 1990 for $78 million, was finished here. Among other works, there are several original Toulouse-Lautrec posters on display.

And while you're thinking of Lautrec, don't forget to visit (at least the outside of) Moulin Rouge. Very pricey ($100 or more), with a floor show garnering mixed reviews, the windmill on the exterior is a photo-op not to be bypassed.

About 20 minutes walk from the Sacré Coeur Basilica, there are several other nightclubs in the area, as well. Beware the Pigalle neighborhood, though. It constitutes one of the seedier areas around.

By contrast, the Montmartre cemetery located in the eastern part of the district, is a pleasant park nearby. Tree-lined and festooned with flowers and dotted with benches, there are tombs and mausoleums galore.

And if you visit in mid-October you might even be able to catch the Grape Festival not far away. Hosting the only vineyard in Paris, Clos Montmartre (at 12 Rue Cortot) was planted in 1933 and has 2,000 vines under cultivation. Most varieties grown in France are represented and the wine lover won't be disappointed.

For those who like a hike, start at the Abbesses Metro. Take a few minutes to enjoy the Art Nouveau awning and the mosaics around the door of the Eglise St Jean l'Evangéliste.

While you're nearby, visit the crypt in the Chappelle du Martyre (at 9 Rue Yvonne-Le-Tac). The first Bishop of Paris, St Denys, is laid to rest here at the site where Loyala, the founder of the Jesuits, took his vows. (Open only on Friday.)

Most will want to finish their visit with a trip to the Sacré Coeur Basilica at the top of the hill. Whether standing on the white steps or up in the dome, the views are spectacular. Go early to avoid the crowds and the heat.

Montmartre is accessible via several metro (subway) lines. M12 (Lamarck-Caulaincourt) or M4 (Chateau-Rouge), Blanche station, etc. Anything which leads to the 18th arrondissement.

Barcelona, the city of Gaudi architecture

The architect Antonio Gaudi (1852-1926) didn't create Barcelona. The city is over 2,000 years old and the famed artist was active around the end of the 19th century. But much that is worthy in this Spanish city is the result of his efforts. Just a list of the works he created that are still extant here would fill pages. To describe them would take volumes.

Unquestionably the most well known of his buildings in Barcelona is the Sagrada Familia, otherwise known as the Temple of the Holy Family. The structure almost defies description. Part neo-Gothic, part neo-Baroque it is sui generis. A series of spires topping a church begun in 1883, it is still under construction.

The Park Guell on nearby Montjuic, completed in 1914, is one of the architect's civil engineering projects. It is a 20-hectare expanse filled with lush greenery and art objects that visitors to Central Park in New York would envy. Whether it's the outstanding lizard sculpture or the famed enormous wavy bench, or just a touch of mosaic tile here and there, the distinctive Gaudi look is clearly evident.

Another structure almost as well known and as often visited is the Casa Milà, or La Pedrera (The Stone Quarry). Originally designed as a private home, it quickly evolved into a set of individual apartments. The organic, undulating balconies give the facade its unique look from the street, but the organic Gaudi elements are everywhere in and on the structure. From the ice-cream cone-shaped chimneys to the seaweed-style wrought iron to the hushed, glowing attic, the building is Gaudi throughout.

Several other structures of the man regarded as the Father of Spanish Art Nouveau demonstrate his worthiness to that title.

Casa Batllo, erected in 1907, is one of the many Gaudi buildings on the UNESCO World Heritage list of worthy treasures that prove the point. As in the Casa Milà, the architect's unusual style is readily visible. The balconies that almost resemble sections of skull around the eye sockets combine with a colorful mosaic-like facade that seems to be melting. The curved chimney complex set in front of an orange clamshell roofline is yet more proof of his unique style.

Gaudi employed organic shapes everywhere, but always adapted them to his own purposes, just as the better known Frank Lloyd Wright always did. That is clear in the Colonia Guell chapel. The unique arches bear the stamp of this unusual artist. Festooned with organic carvings, the arches themselves are sharp angled, yet blend seamlessly into a main structure that appears almost cavelike.

In a city full of outstanding architecture, Gaudi's work continues to be frequently visited by locals and tourists alike. A single glance at any of his buildings makes it easy to see why.

The Uffizi Gallery in Florence

It's rare for an art museum to have too many masterpieces to display. That happy fate befell the Uffizi Gallery in Florence when the last of the Medici, Electress Anna Maria, willed the entire family collection to the gallery in 1743. The results, collected over several centuries, provide a view of one of the finest treasure troves of art anywhere in the world.

The Uffizi occupies a building originally intended as office space for the Grand Duke Cosimo I (1519-1574). 'Uffizi' in Italian means 'office'. The gallery itself was completed in 1581 from a design by Vasari, under the sponsorship of Cosimo's son, Francisco. Gradually, the Medici transferred more and more works here, creating the world's first public art museum in 1591.

Many art museums start with a small, sometimes outstanding, collection of privately collected works. Here, as with everything they did the Medici - rulers of Florence off and on for generations - packed them in by the cartload.

Works are presented in chronological order, giving viewers the opportunity to see the whole panoply of Renaissance art in the manner it developed. That display constitutes not just an education but an experience of a lifetime.

Among the works here are the famed Venus by Botticelli. The Ognissanti Madonna by the late Gothic master, Giotto, is on display. It is kept company by The Madonna and Child with Two Angles, by Lippi, along with hundreds more equally great works. Raphael's Madonna of the Goldfinch resides not far from a Bacchus by Caravaggio.

One wall holds the Venus of Urbino by Titian. Another displays the Baptism of the Christ by del Verrocchio. Michelangelo's Doni Tondo is one of the lesser works in this superb collection. Da Vinci's Annunciation is just down the corridor. The famed Mannerist painting, The Madonna of the Long Neck by Parmigianino resides in the Uffizi.

Outstanding as that portion of the collection undoubtedly is, there is much more to the Uffizi than Italian Renaissance works of the masters.

Rembrandt's Self-Portrait as an Old Man is one example. The Adoration of the Magi by the great German master, Albrecht Dürer is yet another. El Greco, Goya and Velasquez are all well represented.

Many later works are on display, too, including over 250 self-portraits one of which is of Chagall who handed his to the curator personally. Works by Ingres, Delacroix and Rubens can be seen in the narrow corridors. The museum also holds almost 1,400 miniatures, second only to the collection in the Victoria and Albert Museum in London.

The Uffizi remains one of Florence's most popular attractions. In a city full of outstanding art, both indoor and out, that is quite an achievement. When so many outstanding artists are represented in one collection visitors will be offered more than can be seen in one afternoon. To view the collection, then, and actually see it, will take some planning. During the summer it can take several hours to get in without a reservation. Therefore, booking well in advance is vital.

But the small effort will be richly rewarded. Nowhere else in the world is there quite this comprehensive display of so many fine works.

A visit to Maison de Victor Hugo in Paris...

'Maison' is French for 'house'. In this case the word is slightly misleading. While no palace, though sited in the Place des Vosges - originally known as Place Royale - the site is no simple domicile. These sprawling apartments were the home of the famed writer between 1832 and 1848. Hugo fled from the revolution in that year.

Hugo was the author of such well-known (if less widely read) works such as Les Misérables and The Hunchback of Notre Dame. He also penned lesser known, but far superior works, such as Ninety-Three and The Man Who Laughs.

A treat even for those with only a passing interest in literature, the Victor Hugo museum is chock full of drawings, mementos, 19th century furniture and more. The Chinese salon from Hugo's house on Guernsey has been relocated here, as well.

The square outside the house is a delightful beginning. Lined with brick houses, arcades and a garden, it's easy to imagine the author approaching along cobblestoned streets.

As he neared, he would have seen (as visitors can today) a large red and white brick facade atop several large arches. The top of the house displays classical Greek ornamentation typical of the period.

Inside, along with first editions of the writer's works, is a painting of his funeral procession at the Arc de Triomphe. At the time of his death his fame and popularity were so great that millions came to mourn his passing.

There are also portraits of his family. Alongside are drawings and documents showing the life story of Hugo and the many artists he knew as friends. Balzac and Dumas, Paganini and Liszt, Musset and many more dined here. Even Dickens and the Duke of Orleans paid visits.

Inaugurated as a museum in 1903, several years after the author's death, the layout is not exactly as it was during his lifetime. Much of the furniture was auctioned off in 1852.

Nevertheless, the second floor apartment bears a great resemblance to what it was then. It is easy to imagine the great writer at his desk, where his inkwell and handwriting samples can still be seen. Here he wrote several of his masterpieces, including Ruy Blas and Songs of the Twilight.

The rooms also house works displaying the author's lesser known talents, such as original drawings and photographs. There are even items of furniture designed by Hugo, who learned the craft working in the theater.

Exiting down the creaking staircase and out again to the Place des Vosges, be sure to have a croissant on a bench and take your time viewing the many buildings of the Marais district.

Constructed during the early 17th century there are nearly 40 large 'maisons' here. Viewing them, one can easily forget that modern bustling Paris is only a few blocks away.

The museum is easy to get to via the metro (subway). Exit at Chemin-Vert, Saint-Paul or Bastille.