So this is me, happily eating my jambon and fromage crêpe as I climb the stairs up the hills of Montmartre. This was, by far, my most favorite day in Paris. Last time I was in Paris, I never had a chance to get up this far north, so I made it a priority this trip. And oh the things I learned...For example, do you know who this unfortunate man is? It´s Saint Dennis, who apparently was taken up to Montmartre and beheaded by the Romans. Yeah, not fun. But that´s where the name comes from...montmartre...mount of martyrs.
Also, Montmartre is part of the 18 arrondissement because it was its own village for quite a long time before begrudgingly being absorbed into the modern-day metropolitan area of Paris. That´s why Montmartre has its own look and feel and bohemian charm.
And Montmartre is not all about sex, by the way. Nor is it all about the Moulin Rouge. And no, I did not see Nicole Kidman doing the can-can. I had heard a lot of unsavory things about the area, and felt suspicious because all the very cheap, online hotels were the ones claiming to be in the heart of the 18th arrondissement, five minutes from the Moulin Rouge and ten minutes from Sacre-Coeur...
Well, there is sex-row in the area, but it´s along the Avenue de Clichy (which sounds shady, doesn´t it?)
And the Avenue de Clichy is right on the border between the 9th and 18th districts. So if you go deeper south into the 9th or up the hill of the 18th, you really end up right back into charming Paris. But, not without a quick trip into the SuperMarche Erotique... of course.
This is one of the only two suriving original Art Nouveau metro stations in Paris--right in the heart of Montmartre.
This is the apartment building where Vincent Van Gogh stayed during his two years in Paris. Did you know that Vincent started painting when he was 27 and committed suicide when he was 37. And during those ten years, six of them were spent painting in the Flemmish style (in other words, NOT the brilliant colorful style he is known for today). So that´s only 4 years in which he created over some 800 paintings. And his work radically changed during his stay in Montmartre. And, okay, it probably had more to do with all the absinthe he was drinking...rather than Paris itself...but still...
Really, I loved this day because the whole area was just so surprisingly beautiful.
Plus, there was a really great street musician performing in front of the Sacre-Coeur.
