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From Clichy to Montmartre

By Arnie Greenberg Not describing the 17th in detail does not mean there’s nothing there worth visiting. On the contrary, the area around the Etoile is filled with restaurants and some good hotels. But it is so shadowed by the drawing power of Montmartre and the 18th that I prefer to dwell on the latter. From the Etoile, the large boulevards, such as Boulevard Mac Mahon, are named after heads of government. Farther afield is Boulevard Victor Hugo and, at the Porte Maillot, the modern Palais Des Congrés, where large spectacles are staged.

After the replanning by Baron Haussmann, the region changed. The southern part is trendy; closer to the 18th it’s less chic but popular with tourists. Henri Miller was easily found here in 1934 but he too moved on. Now prices have increased and professional couples and the affluent middle-income renters have taken over. Near the Porte De Clichy is a 700-room Ibis Hotel, which offers tiny rooms but great Euro value. There's even a pool.

Along the avenue de Villiers there are still modest places to spend a few nights. From there, Montmartre, the big show, is within walking distance. Here too, but farther from Montmartre, is the egg shaped, high- tech Concorde La Fayette with a fitness club and an amazing bar side view from the 33rd floor. Tel: 40 68 50 68. The Hotel Le Méridien Etoile is close by and has a wonderful Jazz bar. It boasts over 1000 rooms Tel: 40 68 34 34.

Staying there is a good choice but the action starts as you approach the Cimetière de Montmartre. Like the other cemeteries of Paris, Montmartre is filled with history, and the history of the area around the butte (hill) is rich. I easily found the grave of the great Russian dancer Najinsky not far from Berlioz, Offenbach and Utrillo. In the 19th century Utrillo’s street scenes became a window to an area where artists lived, loved and played. It was a wild community, frowned upon by many "upstanding" citizens. Even today, tourists climb the steps to the Place du Tertre (or “hillock”), where artists sketch or exhibit their works. It is a colorful square filled with sounds and tourists and surrounded by restaurants. It's also one of the great drawing spots, from where the view of the city is spectacular.

Nearby is the oval dome of the majestic Sacré Coeur, which sits atop the butte like a gigantic wedding cake. The white façade can be seen from almost anywhere in the city. But this is not one of the old basilicas. It was only completed in 1914 and consecrated in 1919 at the war’s end. Inspired by a Byzantine church in Périgeux, it came to pass through the efforts and finances of two men who promised a memorial to France’s victory against the Germans.

Things to see while in this gigantic structure are the mosaic of Christ that dominates the chancel vault, the stained glass gallery, the silver Renaissance-style statue of Virgin Mary and Child and the crypt where Alexandre Legentil’s heart is contained in a stone urn. He was one of the two men whose dream of a victory basilica was realized.

But even if you just sit on the steps out front you get a feel for the magnificence of Sacré Coeur. The view is “non pareil,” with statues of Joan of Arc and Saint Louis astride powerful horses. The front doors are relief sculptures that illustrate scenes such as the Last Supper. A figure of Christ, the most important statue, faces the front above the main doors. And if you stand at the right angle, you can see the 250-foot bell tower containing one of the heaviest bells in the world at over 18 tons. The clapper alone weighs almost a ton.

Tourists sit on the steps leading to the basilica and just hang out to enjoy the panoramic view. Others eat in one of the many restaurants on the Place du Tertre while seekers of history wander through the streets of this once tiny village to see the Lapin Agile and Utrillo’s house, across the street, or some of the last vineyards still surviving in Paris.

There's also the Museum of Montmatre around the corner. Once the home of a member of Molière’s theatre company, it is one of the finest in Montmartre. Included in the collected found there are works by Modigliani, Maurice Utrillo and his mother Suzanne Valadon.

The Lapin Agile is a must-see place. Once called the Cabaret des Assassins, the current name comes from a painting by André Gill. It shows a rabbit jumping out of a pot. Hence the play on words, Lapin (Rabbit) A Gill or Lapin Agile (agile). Many painters or writers from the nearby Bateau Lavoire, including Picasso, Apollinaire and Max Jacob, would spend their long evenings here.

And speaking of the Bateau Lavoire, it's close by at Place  Emile-Goudeau at the bottom of rue Ravignan, I recommend a walk downhill to the tiny square where the old green wooden structure that looked like a Seine River washing boat now sits, resurrected after a fire. It's a cute square next to a charming Timotel but the Bateau is unprepossessing and important, considering who lived there. Residents building were Picasso and Fernande (his early mistress), Juan Gris, Marie Laurencin, Van Dongen, Max Jacob and Modigliani. It was in this tiny studio that Picasso painted the portrait of Gertrude Stein and the famous Demoiselles d’Avignon in 1907. Picasso also lived around the corner on rue Gabrielle. A plaque on the façade tells you what years he lived there.

Montmartre is the community of tiny streets and village around the Place du Tertre including the Musee de l’Art Juif at 42 rue des Saules, near the cemetery. Its aim is to promote Jewish art and includes an illustrated Bible done by Chagall. Tel: 42 57 84 15

The name Montmartre has nothing to do with a mountain, even with its height. It was named for the martyrs who were tortured here around 250 AD. Hence, ‘mons martyrium’ or Montmartre.

Near the Avenue Junot you will see one of the last windmills of the area, Moulin de la Galette. At number 15, the great Dadaist poet, Tristan Tzara once lived. Hence the name Maison Tristan Tsara. Another windmill is Moulin du Radet on Rue Lepic. It was here that Renoir and Van Gogh were inspired. Van Gogh lived briefly at No. 54.

Rue Lepic is a steep hill that descends to Boulevard De Clichy. It is said that Andre Citroen developed the transmissions for his new cars in the late 19th century.

On the boulevard, the red windmill became the focal point of the world-famous Moulin Rouge. It still draws tourists to its nightly dinner shows. But that’s at the bottom of Montmartre. Here the seedy street boasts discount shops with cheap clothing and some fast food outlets. At night during the tourist season the street is crowded with buses filled with people who climb to Sacre Coeur or take the funicular at the bottom of Rue Foyatier. The cost is one Metro ticket. You can walk up if you like starting at Square Willette, where a large carrousel awaits to thrill the young at heart.

If you go by Métro, get off at the Place des Abbesses stop. The station entrance is pure art nouveau but the area around Place Pigalle is seedy at best and worth a visit for reasons of nostalgia. But "prennez garde”: be careful.

 

A good place to stay, within walking distance of the action is Mercure Paris Montmartre at 2 rue Caulaincourt, Tel: 44 69 70 70. This modern hotel near Place de Clichy Metro boasts 308 rooms.

For a nostalgic restaurant, climb to the Place de Tertre and sample A La Maison Catherine. This eatery goes back to the early 19th century, when Cossacks gathered and hammered on the tables yelling “bistro” which is Russian for "quickly". Hence the name Bistro for this type of restaurant. You can also eat with local entertainment at the famous but tiny Lapin Agile. Tel: 46 06 85 87. It will have more meaning for you if you happened to see Steve Martin’s play, Picasso at The Lapin Agile, even if it only from the author’s imagination.