Montmartre

September 17 Thursday

Last week I spent a couple of days up in Montmartre, the hilly 18 arrondissment of Paris, where Windmills still stand, now ghosts of times past. While it is a bit too hilly for every day living for me (sort of like San Francisco), it is now an upscale, lively area where Toulouse-Lautrec and Degas would sit with drink in one hand and sketch pad in another "observing" the characters who frequented its bars and pubs. Who amongst us hasn't see these posters? But there is a ghost present; I saw a man, whose photo I quickly grabbed (hence not the clearest photo) who looked like the reincarnation of a character from one hundred plus years ago. But with my special friend, Julien, our day was relaxed, quiet and serene. The next day, on Saturday, it burst with the engergy that only tourists and their money brings any area of Paris and hence was a bit overwhelming to me. Still I climbed the streets and pathways up to Socre Coeur. It was one of the few basilicas that still does not allow photography as it is a praying, active church. I had seen it before and still marvel, each time I return as those gorgeous, artesian stained glass windows.
Montmartre used to be a wine village separate from the busy city of Paris. There is much wine flowing through this area even if it is not bottled there it certainly is distributed there! Salute!