First Impressions

Le mercredi 6 juin

What seemed like a last-minute decision to venture back to Montmartre turned into one of the most impressionable days of my return to France.  

With the ominous, grey clouds hinting at rain, I hopped on the Place d’Italie metro towards the somewhat seedy Place Pigalle stop for Sacré Coeur.  The metro’s overhead announcement always cautions tourists - “Attention aux pickpockets - ils montent ici.” 

Basilique du Sacré Coeur is my favorite monument in Paris.  Whenever friends ask for recommendations when visiting the City of Lights, I always give this as my number one go-to.  It’s not just the amazing panoramic view when you finally reach the basilica, or the souvenir shop-lined street before you ascend the steps, or the calm of the candles and respectful silence once inside, or the Byzantine style of painted religious figures beckoning you to look up towards God.  No!  The part of Sacré Coeur that many never see is the city of Montmartre behind Sacré Coeur.  Once you pass behind the basilica, you will see more tourist shops and cafés before finally reaching the artists’ colony square.  Men (and now more women) sit with their easels painting and sketching brave volunteers as the public passes by to see their work.  Be cautious, however!  Not all of the artists are as adept as they seem!  My dear friend, Sepi, has a funny story about her experience being sketched here.  The result of the artist’s interpretation of her left more to be desired...as in there wasn’t much of a resemblance between the subject and the sketch at all LOL! 

The artist’s square is now surrounded by outdoor cafés.  I searched Yelp.fr for a quality resto as the rain’s pitter patter began to let up and finally found a spot in the sun at a place serving moules mariniѐres avec frites.  I sat with my view to the street, people-watching and journaling and sipping sauvignon blanc. The life!  A restaurant nearby, La Bonne Franquette, touted that it had been the hangout spot for Cėzanne, Pissarro, Sisley, Degas, Toulouse-Lautrec, Monet, Renoir, Zola, Van Gogh and others.  This is what many people and I once didn’t realize: la place montmartre is where many of the late 19th century and early 20th century impressionists congregated, collaborated, lived, and socialized.  They were a posse of artists that were rejected by the mainstream art exhibitions, so they started their own salons for exhibiting their work.  “Impressionists” was actually a derogatory term when first used to describe this group. 

My day really took off when I saw a sign pointing down a  street to the Musėe de Montmartre.  There, I found myself at a building-turned-museum where Renoir once lived and worked with other impressionists like Suzanne Valadon, Maurice Utrillo, and Émile Bernard.  The subjects of many of the works were the popular cabarets of the time period like Le Lapin Agile or Le Chat Noir.  (Fast forward to Claire and I visiting Cabaret Lido on the Champs Elysées.) Les Jardins Renoir were as stunning as they were expansive in the sunlight - they included a vineyard, a water lily pond, a swing, and an outdoor seating area for visitors to enjoy a Perrier or cigarette while catching up with friends. 

On my way back to the metro and amidst my perusal of Petit Prince-themed gift shops, I was caught in a downpour.  The romanticism of Paris is only enhanced by a rainy day, as seen in this photo of couple sharing an umbrella. (Cue accordion music.) 

La fin.

Alana