Known more popularly for the burlesque Moulin Rouge which boasts six Australians among it's cast. The suburb surrounding the Metro, St Vincent, is seedy and rank. We did have breakfast in the cafe where Amelie was filmed and I'm sure I took a few photographs but they haven't materialised.
The hillside of Montmartre is actually old, artistic, and quite beautiful. Atop the highest hill in very flat Paris is an Artisan's Market, touristy but quite beautiful and you are accosted on a regular basis by would-be artists of some talent offering to paint your portrait.
Because we're Lonely Planet Guide lovers, we took the Montmartre walking tour to find the Man in the Wall and went, well backwards but it was a lovely way to explore the lesser tourist trail. The sun shone, the walking was quite hard being hilly, the Gelato delicious and the experience unforgettable.
On a clear day the view from Sacré-Cœur is stunning if you can avoid the crowds and hawkers and sadly, there was a Mass being read at the time and whilst I'm a devout atheist, I respect the right of others to worship so we had a peek inside but no photographs:
 | ||||||
| The Cafe where Amalie was shot. Love that Movie |
 |
| Clos Montmartre, Paris' only surviving, working vineyard |
 |
| Montmarte's Artist's Community with Sacre Coeur in the background |
 |
| Even the graffiti is gorgeous |
 |
| Outside a Toy Shop that almost made me want to be a Nana |
 |
| Just a side street cafe |
 |
| Legacy of old, Windmills |
 |
| We LOVE Lonely Planet |
 |
| Loads of these guys, no idea what they are |
 | |
| Ahh this is who we were looking for, the man in the wall |
As dog is my witness, I will make it to Paris some day!
ReplyDeleteHmmmm... I saw both Moulin Rouge and Amélie and loved both. That's cool that the cafe where Amélie worked really exists. Did you find her boyfriend's amusement park, too?
ReplyDeletesuper special in its uniqueness. did you know I was a French teacher for many many years..
ReplyDeletejoyeus Noel !!Bonne annee
ReplyDeletevery nice...love the pic of the artist area...would love to take this trip...
ReplyDeleteBE STILL MY HEART!!!!!
ReplyDeletehells, this was my favorite in all of paris. i wanted to live there for a few months, just taking it all in, because it seemed like a cozy little community besides for the fact it is such a cool hip place. did you see all the fabrics? JB just about had an orgasm (or two!) looking at all that silk.
i LOVED these photos because i was there too!!
and you used your moleskine? AWWWWWW, that makes me happy
♥
guess who :)
I don't recall seeing Montmartre when I went to Paris as a kid. From your pics it looks very colourful and atmospheric, well worth a little tour. The kiddies' cars are beautiful.
ReplyDeleteI always enjoy your photos and could never tire of shots of Paris. I have not seen Amelie...it is going on my list...now.
ReplyDeleteAh, les memoires ;-) (Or isn't that French for: the memories?)
ReplyDeleteAnyway, will not show hubs the photo of the cute cars. He'd want to be a daddy :-)
I hate this phrase "ad hoc". The management teacher always used this expression and I found that class unnecessary for my future career and it frustrated me.
ReplyDeleteWell, I could write things like caeteris paribus, intertemporal, Pareto-efficiency, monopoly (I love monopolies - it is so awesome to calculate with monopolies, they are so interesting), indifferency curve etc... and with these probably I would get on most people's nerves sooner or later.
Really nice post and great pics!
ReplyDeleteyour walking reviews are the closest i'll ever get to paris...keep 'em coming. So what's the significance of the man in the wall? is he just some poor shmuck trapped between dimensions?
ReplyDeleteThe Lonely Planet walking tours are surprisingly good - I really enjoyed the ones I did in Asia.
ReplyDeleteAlso love Montmarte and the view from Sacre Coeur.
I soooo want to go back to Paris. Last there NINETEEN YEARS ago as a singleton. Want want WANT to take hubby and child with me - soon!
ReplyDeleteas many times as i've been in paris, i've NEVER seen the man in the wall! thank you, sugar! and also for the lonely planet walking tours tip! xoxoxox
ReplyDeleteI was there when I was 19 so my impression is vague but sweet. We had avoided Paris til the last part of our trip. Why? Because everyone said the Parisians were snobs, rude, didn't speak to you if you couldn't speak French. My girlfriend and I had learned Spanish. Well, we spent four lovely days there and had a ball. It must be very different now yet so charming. Love the Man in the Wall. Who is it?
ReplyDeleteI love that Cafe! The tile work on the floor is amazing!
ReplyDeleteI'm enjoying seeing Paris through your eyes, Baino.
ReplyDeleteI had no idea there were windmills in Paris. Love the kiddie cars!
Last time I was in Paris, my girlfriends and I walked to the top of Sacre Coeur only a lot of the pathway was outside, on slippery stairs with no handrails (at least that's how I remember it). To say the least I am afraid of heights. While the view is gorgeous up there, I couldn't enjoy it because I kept wondering how I would get down. My friends were so mad that I didn't inform them of my fear. It was a pretty funny afternoon. A nice glass of wine after the experience cured all. Love the post, it brought back such memories.
ReplyDeleteIs that a vineyard? I thought it was the view from the prison cell last time you got banged up for public drunkenness!!! Ho ho ho.
ReplyDeleteDo people actually plan blogs out months/weeks/days in advance? More than I've ever done. Pure stream of consciousness crap from me I'm afraid!!
You too. Though I'd not call it crap :->...
Tsup*!* great minds and all that - I'm just in the middle of putting together a little clip of some of my favs from last Christmas.
ReplyDeleteBreathe it all in again through your lovely photos.
... blog posts - no planning from me either just wing it when fancy or inspiration strikes*!*
You are so good at documenting your trip, that was a good idea using a daily diary
ReplyDeleteNonny
Made me want to be there so badly!
ReplyDeleteI love these pics, especially the one of the colorful cars. And I love Montmartre too. Once had lunch at a little place there, two of us at a table for three. The third chair was soon filled by a very polite and charming cat, who helped me with my salmon (on the floor, of course). Only in France.
ReplyDeleteSuperb photos Baino. Looks like a place worth going to.
ReplyDelete