To live in Montmartre would have been any artist’s dream place to stay. Most lived in hunger and poor accommodation but they were living with hope and passion and wouldn’t be anywhere else. Fuelled by their love of art and the camaraderie of their fellow artists, they struggled on regardless.
It is one of the places I’ve always wanted to visit and so it was on my last day we headed out to walk the cobbled stoned streets and climb many stairs to the top.
We took the metro to Abbesses, one of the most beautiful metro stations in Paris. 144 steps to the top! There were fantastic paintings on every level, I wish I had taken more.
To start with we tried to follow the walking map as to what to see, but soon gave up as everywhere you looked there was something to see or a little alleyway to walk through.
~ Wall of Love ~
A wall dedicated to love in the garden of Square Jehan Rictus. The work of Frederic Baron and Claire Kito, is a meeting place for lovers from all over the world.
Situated outside the Galerie Montmartre, a moving mural with the faces of hundreds of famous people. Can you spot Mona Lisa?
I did like the detail in this little critter
By the time we had climbed to the top to look at the The Basilica of Sacre Coeure, the rain had started and as we didn’t bring umbrellas or raincoats, we were forced to buy one. It was well worth the climb to see the astounding views from the top.
My first view of the Basilica, quite awe inspiring after climbing up along those tiny staircases to see this great beauty.
We didn’t venture in as you can see the queues were long! Also I imagine you would need booked slots.
Heading back down into the main square and walking very gingerly on these slippery wet cobblestones we agreed it was time for lunch.
Inside La Boheme Montmartre with a steaming bowl of French Onion Soup and a glass of chilled white wine.
With so many choices we took pot luck and chose one that looked relatively busy. Deciding to sit inside as it was too chilly and wet for outside (Paris in the Summer, who would have thought!).
There are so many famous buildings and restaurants in Montmartre and have written some potted histories below.
La Maison Rose – The Little Pink House was originally bought by Ramon Pichot in 1905. It was first a painting studio and visited by Pichot’s friends Dali and Picasso. He turned it into a restaurant and painted it pink in 1908. It is believed that La Maison Rose became famous because of Utrillo paintings. But Élisée Maclet (sadly forgotten) painted La Maison Rose and Montmartre long before Utrillo. Source: La Maison Rose
There is much more history on the link above about what has happened to this house over the years.
Le Consulat – Another famous cafe frequented by world renowned artists, Picasso, Sisley, Van Gogh, Toulouse-Lautrec and Monet. The building dates back to the 19th century. It is still serving delicious home cooked food.
La Bonne Franquette – A 16th century house in the heart of Montmartre. The name was given in 1925 by Francisque Poulot. The motto of this restaurant is “Love, Eat, Drink and Sing”. This is the place where Van Gogh painted the famous “La Guingette”.
We then went looking for the “Man in the Wall”, something I’d never heard of but my friend wanted to see.
M. Dutilleul, a fictional character by Parisian writer Marcel Ayme, who discovers he can walk through walls. He uses this power to commit crimes and carry on an affair. On his last visit to his mistress, he suddenly loses this power and becomes immobilised inside the wall.
It seems that this was not well known enough for other tourists as we were the only ones there.
Next up was the Windmill and of course last but not least, Moulin Rouge.
There were once thirty windmills in Montmartre dating back to the 16th century and now only two remain. The other is Blute-Fin. Before Montmartre became a place known for its artists it was just a humble village populated by peasants. The windmill that sits atop the Moulin Rouge is just a tribute and not an active one.
I loved exploring Montmartre and would have liked to wander more, but time was pressing on for me to venture back to Gard du Nord for my trip back to London.
Montmartre is well worth a visit and you could easily spend a whole day here. It’s not easy walking and you would definitely need a good pair of walking shoes!
