Montmartre: A Paris Gem
Bon soir,
A beautiful day in Paris almost always beckons us up the mountain to Montmartre. It is a favorite of ours and evokes a wistful sense of all the great artists who painted from its lovely mountainsides such as Renoir, Picasso and Salvador Dali. It is what I fondly call “old Paris” and the setting for the movie scenes in “Midnight in Paris.”
Today was Charles and Judy’s turn to experience this Paris gem. And they loved it. We had a glorious day which started of course with the beautiful metro station rue des Abbesses and then the steps, steps, steps up to the top.
We walked through the Sacre Coeur before the swarm of people arrived, then down the backside for the wonderful views and the vineyards which supposedly are the last in Paris.
We ate a leisurely lunch at Chez Plumeau under the huge wisteria vine and then enjoyed watching Charles and Judy pick out an original piece of art from La Place de Tertra in the heart of the village square. We started our trek down the mountain past the very famous restaurant Le Moulin de la Galette and ended up at the bottom in the red light district to get
a picture of Le Moulin Rouge. Charles and Judy were amazed at the unpleasant “ambiance” here amid the sex shops!
We made our way home for a little rest and a very early dinner. Charles and Judy were off by 6pm for an 8-mile evening bicycle ride through Paris ending in a river cruise on the Seine. We don’t expect them home until midnight. We’ll keep the light on for them but these two folks are off to bed.
Tomorrow we head off for Normandy per Charles’ request and hope the weather will be as nice as in Paris. We are going by rental car and expecting an easy exit from Paris. Remember I said that!
A bientot,
L&B
September 17, 2014 @ 1:59 am
For the next time, if you go to the Musée de Monmartre, you can get into the area where the vineyards are. The museum is small, but nice. Also a few recommendations for you and Bernie, L’Agrume – very small restaurant near Gobelins with excellent food! This was our 3rd year to go there and it is a treat! The chef has a great touch with flavors and textures. We always sit at the counter ( seats 4) and watch him cook. He does everything but wash the dishes!
Frenchy Wine Bar on rue de Nil. There are three restaurants, Frenchy’s, Frenchy to Go and the Frenchy Wine Bar. The Frenchy Wine Bar is the only one we went to, and it is excellent. They don’t take reservations so show up around 7:00 if you don’t want to stand around too long. We chatted with the bartender till 8:15 because we were trying for a cancellation at Frenchy’s. We didn’t get it so ate at the wine bar and it was superb!
And since it is Bernie’s 75th you really should take him to the Fée Verte for a round of Absynthe! Remember you only go round once! (The food looks pretty good there too, but we didn’t try it.
September 17, 2014 @ 4:15 am
Thanks, Jim, for all the great information.
September 17, 2014 @ 9:59 am
Sounds like a great day…and Charles & Judy are no wimps either!! What are the chimney pots about? That photo reminds me of San Fran! Enjoying the site…this is SO MUCH better than via email. Great job mom!!
September 17, 2014 @ 10:57 am
Your pictures take me back to when Bob and I visited Montmarte with his brother & wife and Russ and Shirley. We all loved it! It was one of our favorite spots. It was also at a restaurant up there where a loud fellow American was complaining about all the “French food” on the menu.
September 22, 2014 @ 4:21 am
Brings back such great memories!