A Travellerspoint blog

A Paris Walk in Montmartre and the Musée de Montmartre

Friday, June 27, 2014

Montmartre for the day . . .

Montmartre for the day . . .


Having trouble remembering what a full night of sleep feels like. More coughing. Sigh . . . Ed had decided on a Paris Walk in Montmartre for today and as coincidence would have it, our Metro station is a direct connection to Lamarck so it was an easy trip and we did get seats. There was a slight delay because the ticket lady had disappeared and our credit cards won’t work in the machines. We had used our last carnet tickets yesterday so had to get tickets. Fortunately, she appeared pretty quickly, we bought another carnet and were on our way.

*****

Le Panier Lamarck on rue Caulaincourt in Montmartre

Le Panier Lamarck on rue Caulaincourt in Montmartre

We passed the dreaded Abbesses Metro station with its 265 or so steps and exited at Lamarck to discover slightly fewer but still a huge number of steps. The last time we exited at Abbesses, the elevator was out of order so we had to climb the stairs. Very interesting mural on the wall walking up the steps to the exit, but quite a hike. At 70+ I was happy to note quite a few 30-something Parisians were gasping their way to the top along with me. (Actually, I only stopped once for a breather; quite a few younger folks stopped more often.)

This time we stayed on for one more stop and got off at Lamarck-Caulaincourt. Fortunately there is a very large elevator and it was working. That was good because the Paris Walk started us out climbing a lot more steps on the way to the famous cabaret Au Lapin Agile and the Montmartre vineyard. Climbing more stairs at rue due Mont Cenis, we saw a group of students climbing a lightpost for photos. How funny. On to Place du Tertre and tourist mania.

Boulangerie les Deux Frères on rue Caulaincourt in Montmartre

Boulangerie les Deux Frères on rue Caulaincourt in Montmartre

Le Cellier de la Butte, a wine shop on rue Caulaincourt

Le Cellier de la Butte, a wine shop on rue Caulaincourt

Cocci Market on rue Lamarck in Montmartre

Cocci Market on rue Lamarck in Montmartre

The famous cabaret Au Lapin Agile in Montmartre

The famous cabaret Au Lapin Agile in Montmartre

The Montmartre Vineyard and Musée de Montmartre

The Montmartre Vineyard and Musée de Montmartre

Students being students . . . Montmartre

Students being students . . . Montmartre

View from near the top of the stairs on rue du Mont Cenis in Montmartre

View from near the top of the stairs on rue du Mont Cenis in Montmartre

*****

Le Cabanon de la Butte in Montmartre

Le Cabanon de la Butte in Montmartre


We found La Bonne Franquette but the menu wasn’t appealing so we went in search of Au Clocher de Montmartre below Sacre Coeur where we’d eaten with the girls. We missed it by one, but had a very nice lunch at Le Cabanon de la Butte. The lady was very nice, spoke excellent English and was happy to speak French with us.

We both got salmon and chose the legume du jour which was haricots verts. It was served with a lovely, rich but soft brown bread with a crisp crust. Very nice meal. We got the crême brulée for dessert and thoroughly enjoyed ourselves. Fantastic views of Paris from the restaurant windows. [Le Cabanon de la Butte, 6 Rue Lamarck, 75018 Paris; tel: +33 (0)1 4257-2046 or +33 (0)6 9857-3974; Le Cabanon de la Butte web site]

Interior of Le Cabanon de la Butte in Montmartre

Interior of Le Cabanon de la Butte in Montmartre

View from Le Cabanon de la Butte in Montmartre

View from Le Cabanon de la Butte in Montmartre

*****

Man with his feathered friend near Place du Tertre in Montmartre

Man with his feathered friend near Place du Tertre in Montmartre


After lunch, we visited St. Pierre de Montmartre consecrated in 1147, one of the oldest churches in Paris. We immediately noticed stunning new floor lighting under the 1977 altar by Jean-Paul Froidevaux that goes perfectly with the gorgeous modern stained glass windows by Max Ingrand. We love the amazing and huge bronze doors by Tommaso Gismondi installed in 1980 seen from the courtyard. The three main doors are by Gismondi but our favorite is the door into the cemetery (closed) that is a completely different style and is the Resurrection of Christ. Eglise St. Pierre is also the most peaceful place on Montmartre. Hordes tromp through the dark, gloomy Sacre Coeur but haven’t discovered the ancient and beautiful St. Pierre right beside it . . . thankfully. [St. Pierre de Montmartre, 2 Rue du Mont Cenis, 75018 Paris; tel: +33 (0)1 4606-5763; St. Pierre de Montmartre web site]

Bronze door by Tommaso Gismondi at St. Pierre de Montmartre

Bronze door by Tommaso Gismondi at St. Pierre de Montmartre

Two of the stained glass windows by Max Ingrand in St. Pierre de Montmartre

Two of the stained glass windows by Max Ingrand in St. Pierre de Montmartre

Two of the stained glass windows by Max Ingrand in St. Pierre de Montmartre

Two of the stained glass windows by Max Ingrand in St. Pierre de Montmartre

St. Peter (St. Pierre) in St. Pierre de Montmartre

St. Peter (St. Pierre) in St. Pierre de Montmartre

Side of the Jean-Paul Froidevaux altar in St. Pierre de Montmartre

Side of the Jean-Paul Froidevaux altar in St. Pierre de Montmartre

Christ on the Cross by Henri-Léon Gréber in St. Pierre de Montmartre

Christ on the Cross by Henri-Léon Gréber in St. Pierre de Montmartre


*****

Montmartre Museum, small but fascinating

Montmartre Museum, small but fascinating

Next we walked down to the Musée de Montmartre, climbed through the construction and to enter the quaint museum fought off numbered tour groups all wearing baseball caps with their tour number. There was a fun “Picasso in Montmartre” exhibit and then the regular Montmartre history exhibit all in the oldest building in Montmartre. The building, garden, vineyard and views are all spectacular. [Musée de Montmartre, 12-14 Rue Cortot, 75018 Paris; tel: +33 (0)1 4925-8939; Musée de Montmartre web site]

View of the Montmartre vineyard and Au Lapin Agile from the museum

View of the Montmartre vineyard and Au Lapin Agile from the museum

Musée de Montmartre and that very agile rabbit

Musée de Montmartre and that very agile rabbit

Part of the Picasso exhibit at the Musée de Montmartre

Part of the Picasso exhibit at the Musée de Montmartre

Posters and a view of Montmartre from the museum

Posters and a view of Montmartre from the museum

*****

La Maison Rose (The Pink House)

La Maison Rose (The Pink House)


We walked around a little, found the Maison Rouge and went back to Place du Tertre and hopped on the Little Tourist Train for a tour of the Mont. I love the little trains and cheerfully snapped pictures out the window.

Riding on the Little Train in Montmartre

Riding on the Little Train in Montmartre

The Moulin Rouge at Place Blanche in Montmartre

The Moulin Rouge at Place Blanche in Montmartre

Views from the Little Tourist Train of Montmartre

Views from the Little Tourist Train of Montmartre

*****

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We reversed our morning trip to get home, stopped at Proxi for supplies and got in before the rain started. Fun day!

It was a short rain storm so we decided to walk down to our neighborhood restaurant for a kir and cheese plate and afterwards took a short walk. Perfect!

Posted by Beausoleil 10:15 Archived in France Tagged paris montmartre

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Comments

At the VirtualTourist meeting in Paris in 2011 we had a walking tour of Montmartre led by Paul (pfsmalo), who knows the district very well. On VT I had a series of tips on this walk, which at some point I hope to resurrect for my website.

by Nemorino

I miss Paul. I wonder where he migrated after VT closed? He was a walking encyclopedia of information about France.

Let me know when you get your tips up. Montmartre isn't my favorite part of Paris, but our oldest daughter absolutely loves it. It's funny; all of us have a different favorite part. Paris is that diverse . . .

by Beausoleil

Paul is a member of both TravBuddy and Travellerspoint, but he seems to be posting mainly on TravBuddy. As far as I can tell he hasn't posted anything about Paris, however. Back on VT he had a fantastic collection of Off the Beaten Path tips on Paris.

I tend to like whatever part of Paris I have been reading about. Lately that would be Saint-Germain-des-Prés and Montparnasse, because that's where Simone de Beauvoir spent most of her life.

by Nemorino

Montmartre isn't my favourite part of Paris either, but the views are lovely and you show us some less well-trodden parts here which I must add to my lengthening (thanks to you and Don!) list for our next visit :-)

by ToonSarah

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