Montmartre

. The huge dome of the Basilique de Sacre Couer
(the Basilica of the Sacred Heart) towers over a side street in Montmartre

Montmartre was the centre of the art world during the latter half of the 19th and early 20th centuries before the artists began their gradual move away to Montparnasse. There is still plenty to remind you of this rich history including the Musee de Montmartre at 12 Rue Cortot which explores the history of what was once a small village and also has a collection of paintings by Modigliani and Toulouse-Lautrec.

The museum is in a 17th century house that was once home to Renoir and many other famous artists. It was here that he put the finishing touches to his famous painting, Au Moulin de la Galette. Unfortunately, photography isn’t permitted within the museum but the street has lots of picture-taking possibilities and is a great place to explore being quite a bit quieter than Sacre Coeur and Place du Tertre!

A charming square?
The Place du Tertre, a mecca for pavement artists of all abilities, has a tendency to polarise opinion. At one time, this must have been a lovely, charming square but it’s difficult to tell now, such is its popularity with tourists. It has an atmosphere all its own and was my dad’s favourite haunt but I find it too busy and commercialised and much prefer the quieter neighbouring streets.

However, there’s no denying that it offers lots of possibilities for shots of tourists having their portraits painted, haggling with the artists or just trying to fend off their advances! Some of them can be quite persistent and will use every persuasive technique in the book to get you to sit down. You have been warned! The last time I was there, a few of them took exception to my photography. Not being a fluent French speaker, I wasn’t really able to pick up the thrust of their complaints but it seems to have something to do either with their opposition to someone photographing their work or the belief that they should be paid for having their photograph taken - in much the same way that street entertainers will try to demand cash when you photograph them performing in public.

One final claim to fame that Montmartre has is the invention of the bistro. During the Russian invasions of 1814, the Cossacks, an impatient bunch by all accounts, took to banging their fists down on cafe tables and yelling “Bistro!”, Russian for “quick”. I might give that a try next time service is a bit slow in my local fast food outlet...

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