Pierre's Montmarte

Shortly after we arrived in Paris, I learned of an organization called Paris Greeters which matches tourists with Parisian volunteers for an afternoon tour. They ask for a minimum 2 weeks notice, but we submitted a request anyway figuring we wouldn't get to do a tour. We were pleasantly surprised when Pierre emailed us to say he'd like to show us around his neighborhood--Montmarte. For anyone familiar with Paris, you'll know Montmarte as the famous district in which the Moulin Rouge, the Sacre Coeur, and many artists are found (you may also know if from the movie Amelie). Pierre promised us a tour of not only the famous tourist sights, but of the lesser known alleys and landmarks that truly make Montmarte Pierre's favorite area (it's also where he has his home).



We met Pierre, an older retired gentleman, at the top of the deepest metro station in Paris (the Abessess); he was accompanied by another gentleman, Olivier who was "in training" to be a volunteer. A Belarussian-American mother-daughter duo rounded out our group. Even without seeing any sights, it was a fun afternoon of getting to know some really interesting people--Pierre and Olivier, true Parisian gentleman who have travelled the world over; the mother who lived in Belarus when it was part of the USSR and moved with her family (including her daughter) in the mid-80's, before the fall of communism; and the daughter who, though born in Belarus, had just taken her first trip back since she was 6 or 7. Very interesting and charming people.


Pierre's love of Montmarte was evident in every minute of this 4 hour walking tour. And, we found Montmarte to be a favorite for us as well, no doubt a result of Pierre's infectious joy for his home.


Montmarte's name means Hill or Mount of the Martyr's. Pierre seemed to enjoy telling us the story of Saint Denis (several times in fact), the Bishop of Paris who was beheaded in 250 A.D. As Pierre likes to tell it, Saint Denis was beheaded, stooped over to pick up his head, walked 6 miles while holding his head in his hands preaching a sermon before returning to his house to die. After the third telling, and while in front of a statue of Saint Denis, Pierre told us he thinks this is actually just a legend.

I didn't get any pictures of Pierre, or Saint Denis, but here's a run down of some other fun sights:

• Le Bateau Lavoir: Named by a French painter (because it was reminiscent of the washing boats on the Siene), this little square was a commune for artists and writers from about 1890 to 1914. Among the residents were Pablo Picasso.

• The Lapin Agile: A famous Paris cabaret. Picasso was apparently a regular here and composed a painting "At the Lapin Agile."
  

• Clos Montmare: Easy to miss, this is Paris' only working vineyard (they produce about 1500 bottles per year)--right on a hill in the middle of Montmarte. Not regularly open for visits, they have an annual festival in October, which is apparently quite the event.

• Basilica Sacre Couer: This Roman Catholic basilica is the highest point in Paris. It is beautiful, if not a bit odd, and has a great view of the city. I say odd because, though it looks ancient, it was completed in 1914 (after about 4o years of construction) and the design of this church incorporates many different architectural styles including random gargoyles. This was on our tour only because it is such a well known site--Pierre was only to happy to tell us he does not like the Sacre Couer!
  

• Place du Terte: In this square, right in the middle of Montmarte, near the Basilica, dozens of artists set up their easel's, painting and selling their art to tourtists (Pierre and Olivier, however, believe much of the art comes from China and that some of the artists merely put on the "finishing touches"!!)

• Moulin Rouge: Probably the most famous cabaret in the world. It was built in 1889 and still runs shows every day.
  

• I Love You Wall: The idea of a French man who asked various people to write "I love you" in their own language and their own handwriting. Those phrases, now totaling 1000 in over 300 languages, are on display on this wall.

With the exception of this one afternoon, we didn't get to spend much time taking in the sights and sounds of this delightful district. But, in many ways, Montmarte is the epitome of the Paris of our imaginations and is certainly a part we'd be happy to visit again.

French Food

There are so many great aspects of Paris, it is hard to know where to start in sharing some of our favorites. One of my favorite parts of the city were the markets and the food shops. Paris is known for having great food and we weren't disappointed.

It seems you can't walk far in Paris without running into a Boulangerie and Patisserie (a bakery and pastry shop).

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Although I have heard that no one can be truly expert as both a baker and a pastry chef, we weren't disappointed by a single thing we tried. Sadly, I didn't take pictures of any of our food, but you'll have to take my word for it that it looked, smelled, and tasted amazing. Some of our favorite sweets were the macaroons and strawberry/chantilly cream eclairs. A-mazing.

Macaroons from the famous Laduree

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We also just loved being able to stop in a a bakery every day (morning and evening, most days) to pick up a fresh, warm baguette for our meal. The boulangerie just down the street from our flat had a line out the door every evening with people doing the same. And, can I please just tell you what a delectable dish a croissant truly is? Forget those nasty things from Costco or on your hotel continental breakfast. A real croissant is unbeatable.

In addition to several boulangeries/patisseries, it seems every neighborhood is blessed with a fromagerie (cheese shop) and boucherie (a butcher) and at least a couple fresh fruit and veg stands (not to mention a flower shop or two). This is not to say there aren't grocery stores in Paris--there are--but there certainly seems to be a preference, or at least availability--of merchant with expertise in one type of food. This is something we've noticed more generally in Europe and something we really love.

A Creperie

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Another option for fruit and veg seems to be markets that spring up throughout the city in various locations and on various days of the week. We only checked out one--the one in our neighborhood--but LOVED it. Such a colorful, lively place. Produce stacked high, aisles crowded with people, and vendors shouting out the deals on their wares. The great deals (1.5 Euro for 30 eggs, 1Euro for 1 kg of cherries) sealed the deal for us and we were loyal customers for our 15 days. The ooh-la-las and free samples from the vendors (plus the one vendor who asked me if I speak English, and when told yes, said, "I have to tell you--I love you") didn't really hurt either!

My favorite market

We didn't eat out a lot (it is very expensive), but we still managed to enjoy some seriously good eats. Besides the croissants, eclairs and macaroons, we enjoyed some crazy good crepes (crazy good), found the joy known as a Croque Monsieur, had this amazing cheesy baguette stuffed with cheese and ham (yum), had great quiche, wine, cheese, falafel (not French, I know, but still really good), salad nicoise, some other incredible salad, and many other wonderful dishes.

Now that we are all sufficiently hungry, tell me....what's your favorite French food or a French dish you'd love to try?

Paris: An Overview

I'm back! I actually got home from Paris last Monday, but have been surprisingly busy (thanks to sweet friends who have been keeping me entertained while Joe is still soaking up the Parisian life!). I finally uploaded the nearly 1000 pictures for the week and am ready to start getting some posts up about our time there.


Paris is a beautiful city, but largely different than what we were expecting. Paris has a bit of everything and is a really big city. I knew it would be big and diverse, but I think my mind was filled with romantic images of quaint alleys, smokey cafes, and couples walking down quiet, rain drenched streets (maybe I watch too many movies) so I was a little surprised when those things didn't dominate the city. And, let's be honest--I didn't see a single quiet street in 15 days. Still, it is a fantastic city and I am thrilled to have had so long to take it all in. Really, I don't know how you could get through Paris in just a few days.



The weather was fantastic and I have returned with a tan, a new appreciation for French cuisine and culture, and lots of wonderful memories of leisurely evenings and days spent drinking in amazing art, stunning architecture, and fascinating history.


I'll get some posts up this week about some of the particular things we really enjoyed--so please do check back!

Bon Voyage

Tomorrow, very early, we are headed to France where we will spend the next few weeks in Paris. We are both really looking forward to this holiday and to really experiencing the French culture. I cannot say what I am most looking forward to seeing, but there are many Parisian landmarks (and food) that I can't wait to take in.

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I know I have been absolutely terrible about blogging the last couple of months. But, I hope to get a few posts in while we are away and to get truly caught up and back on track when we return. Thanks for sticking with us!