GOING UP THE MONTMARTRE HILL IN PARIS ( July 4, 2025)

                                          
                                             

                                      

                                     

                                           

GOING UP THE MONTMARTRE HILL IN PARIS ( July 4, 2025)

Once you have seen the Eiffel Tower, the Notre Dame Cathedral, the Louvre,  and some  museums, it will be an enriching experience to spend an afternoon exploring Montmartre  built on a hill that rises about 450 feet from Paris city. 

Montmartre is a large hill in Paris's northern 18th arrondissement and famous for its artistic heritage. The winding and  steep  cobbled streets,  old historic cafes, some old buildings, art and artists, Moulin Rogue cabrert at the foot of the hill in Pigalle and the well known  Sacre Coeur  Church  at the top give  a distinctive village ambiance to the locality  making it  different from the rest of Paris. The white Sacre Coeur Church crowns its highest point. The area in front of the church offers extensive views of the city. We could clearly see some landmark structures of the city .

In  the 19th and the 20th centuries , Montmartre was not a part of the arrondissements of Paris and was a  completely separate village. Apart from vineyards, the other traditional activity in Montmartre area  was milling. Windmills used to fan out on the crest of the hill catching the wind. Two survive and can still be seen  should one decide to go up the hill on foot through the  cobbled path. 

Montmartre is  close to Pigalle , the red light district of Paris. However, since the end of the 1990s, the district has seen a slow but almost complete  transformation: gradually the brothels and peep shows of the 1970s have given way to less shady but trendier venues, while some red-light rooms have been converted into cultural centres.

We were told that the Romans occupied Montmartre in the 8th century AD. However ,excavations have revealed the presence of Roman Baths dating back to the  2nd century AD .We were also  told that in the 16th century Henry IV  brought his artillery to the top of the hill to  fire at French forces below . And again , the Russian soldiers occupied Montmartre during the Battle of Paris in 1814. In 1860,  the wall which had been built just before the French Revolution to collect taxes on all goods coming into Paris was demolished and Montmartre became a part of Paris.This was part of a larger civic plan of expansion to bring Montmartre into the 18th district of Paris.

Montmartre had  the perfect environment for the young artists due to cheap lodging, too many cafes. and presence of some great names like  Picasso, Van Gogh , Pissarro  Renoir and others. The cafes became  great places to network.

We went by Metro 2 from Gare de Nord station that dropped us at Pigalle . In Gare de Nord  , one can see some Indian and Sri Lankan shops selling spices and grocery from India. One can get frozen  Chapatis and cottage  cheese as well . I was surprised to see Hindu gods painted by some artist inside Gare de Nord metro station. One can also access Montmartre by metro line 2 or metro line 4. Under both the options, one can arrive at  the base of Montmartre hill.Once one arrives at the base of the hill and one  can go up by a bus, a mini train or private car  but I would recommend to walk  up about 2.5 km on foot to get the real feel and the ambiance and also see some historic buildings and cafes  once  visited by writers and artists which include Salvador Dali ,Pablo Picasso and  Vincent Van Gog. It used to be a locality inhabited by   artists and writers. Albert Camus  finished the first draft of  his well- known novel ,"The Stranger " in the dreary Hôtel Poirier in Montmartre, a few weeks before the German invasion. Artist Salvador Dali had a house and there is a museum dedicated to his work on this hill .We also visited  some old restaurants frequented by artists like Dali, Picasso, Modigliani, Miro , Manet, Toulouse-Lautrec, Gericault, Renoir Camille Pissarro, and Van Gogh . These artists had their studios in Montmartre. 

The writers Alexandre Dumas and Stendhal, the dancer Vaslav Nijinsky, the composers Jacques Offenbach and Hector Berlioz, the New Wave filmmaker François Truffaut, the impressionist painter Edgar Degas, as well as La Goulue, the star of the Maulin Rouge and inventor of the French Cancan, are just some among many important men buried in Montmartre cemetery .

PICASSO AND MONTARTRE 

One of Montmartre's most famous former residents was the Spanish artist Pablo Picasso. He resided at the Bateau-Lavoir which  became the meeting place of a whole host of artists, writers, actors and art dealers. It was in his studio at the Bateau-Lavoir in 1907 that Picasso painted one of his most noted works, Les Demoiselles d'Avignon. It was also in Montmartre that Picasso and Georges Braque co-founded Cubism, one of the most famous and influential art movements of the 20th century. There are some restaurants and building associated with Picasso in Montmartre.

THE MAULIN ROGUE

The famous  Maulin Rouge  cabaret cum bar cum restaurant is at the foot of the Montmartre  hill in Pigalle district of Paris city.Pugalle used to be  the  red-light district of Paris. That area is, today, largely known for a wide variety of stores specialising in instruments for rock music. There are  now some concert halls used for rock music.It  is   a prominent location thronged by  locals and tourists. Maulin Rouge has two entrances ; one from the Pigalle side and the other on the  road going up the Montmartre hill. This is the most well-known cabaret in the world  which has been  featured in many films and novels .It was made famous by the can-can dancers in the paintings of Toulouse-Lautrec.It also  features in the paintings of  Van Gogh  and Renoir and many more prominent artists of Europe.  Van Gogh 's residence (Van Gogh lived at no. 54!) in Montmartre is now a prominent  restaurant on rue Lepic .

MONTMARTRE MUSEUM

A small museum located around the corner from Sacre-Coeur, where one can discover the history of Montmartre and works  of many  artists who lived and worked in the area. The Renoir gardens which surround the museum (named after the impressionist painter Auguste Renoir who lived there and painted several masterpieces on-site) offer breathtaking views of Montmartre's only remaining vineyard  and the northern cityscape of Paris.The Museum and gardens are open every day, all year, from 10:00 am to 6:00 pm and one needs to  pay  9 euros to enter . 

BREADS, PASTRIES, CHOCOLATES, CAKES AND OTHER SWEETS

There are many shops that sell delicious chocolates , breads, croissants , macarons,  muffins, cakes, biscuits , pastries,  and  other sweet options to choose from. Some prominent shops could be listed as ; Maison Aleph, Copains Bakery, Pain Pain Bakery:,Pierre Hermé , Carette and  Aux Merveilleux de Fred. One also finds a shop of Bachir Ice Cream during summer months . Bachir, a Lebanese ice cream establishment is  located at the foot of the Sacre-Coeur Basilica . Bachir Ice Cream is quite popular with Parisians.

BASILICA OF THE SACRE- COEUR ( SACRED HEARTS) 

Dominating Paris city, the white-domed Basilica of the Sacré-Cœur lies on the summit of Montmartre hill. It was built as an attempt at national reconciliation and atonement for the terrible events of the Paris Commune of 1871.The eccentric and overbearing construction is a statement by the Catholic Church of possession of Montmartre, a place of resistance, freedom and marginals.The Basilica is in fact constructed with travertine limestone quarried in Château-Landon, a town some 100 km to the south-east of Paris.

It’s free to enter Sacre-Cœur, however, if you want to be a bit more adventurous (and find even more amazing views), you can book tickets to climb to the top of Sacre-Cœur. It takes 300 steps to access the top of the Dome, but once you arrive you will have a 360 degree view of the city below.

The Basilica of the Sacre-Cœur was built on Montmartre from 1876 to 1919.Its white dome is a highly visible landmark in the city, and near it artists set up their easels each day amidst the tables and colourful umbrellas of the place du Tertre. I saw  many Indians ( mostly from Punjab)selling water and gift items outside the Basillica. As it appeared, they had come as Kabootars ( illegal immigrants )  and live in little hope of getting legal rights to stay or return to India. I saw them sad and unhappy.

A short walk from Sacre-Coeur  down the hill , one arrives in the heartbeat of Montmartre's Place du Tertre. Place du Tertre is a small square, lined with  the traditional French cafes of Montmartre and where, in the center of the square, one finds   the artists who come out each day to draw portraits of tourists for a price ranging between 60 to 80 euros. Each Montmartre artist has a unique style, and you can walk around and watch them drawing someone’s portrait to determine which artist you would like to draw yours.. The portraits are drawn between thirty minutes to one hour One needs to pay the artist in cash only. 

 WALL OF LOVE

On the Wall of Love in Montmartre: "I love you"  is written in 250 languages by calligraphist Fédéric Baron and artist Claire Kito (2000). Tourist come to see it and couples like to get photos close to the wall. We saw a Japanese couple  clicking  a kissing photo  near the Wall.

Montmartre has been a base, at one time or the other, for almost all of the famous artists and writers.  And by the turn of the 20th century, Montmartre had become the centre for all artistic and intellectual life in Paris. Should you visit Paris, keep a visit to  Montmartre on high priority . I was told that Poet Faiz Ahmed Faiz would often visit Montmartre during his exile in Paris . He would meet some writers in a cafe and enjoy listening to  some symphony of  Chopin . Faiz even wrote ," Chopin ka nagma bajta hai" a poem on the celebrated French (of  Polish origin)musician Frederic Chopin . He also wrote the well known poem  ," yeh dhoop kinara shaam dahle  " in Paris . I also came to know that artist S H Raza , who lived in Paris and married a French girl , enjoyed  respect and admiration  from French art fraternity. Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, Swami Ranganathananda, Ravi Shankar , Narendra Modi ,  L. Subramaniam , Ustad Zakir Hussain, Shah Rukh Khan, Amitabh Bachan, and many more are quite popular and respected names in Paris. The Parisians love Dosa, Kebab, Samosa, Basmati rice , Chapati,  Yogurt Lassi ,  Alu Paratha ,Paani Puri and Jalebi .They are bowled over by many facets of the   social and cultural life in India  and by the   value system practi ed by the Indian society   . When I informed many friends  in France   about the practice  of feeding fresh kitchen food to birds in the morning , keeping first morsel of food for the hungry dog, performing Charan Vandana( of  elders and  teachers  )and many more  similar and simple things practised  in India as a matter of  routine, I saw every listener attentive and desiring to know more .My Armenian friend wanted some good book on Yoga . The Pathan helper at the Boucherie  ( butcher shop ) in Alfortville wants to meet Shah Rukh Khan. The Algerian shopkeeper wants to see Taj Mahal and Jaipur.The owner of the Sri Lankan grocery store wants to know the recipe of Rogan Josh . Isn't  the world small and closely knit? 

So long so much.

( Avtar Mota ) 

PS

Poet Faiz Ahmed Faiz  liked some  symphonies of Frederic Chopin. I also visited the Tomb of Frederic Chopin in Paris .I remember some lines from the song in which Faiz Ahmed Faiz mentions  the celebrated composer / musician Frederic Chopin :-

"Gham ne saanche  mein daala hai

ik baap ke patthar chehre ko

murda bete ke maathe ko

ik maa  ne ro kar chooma  hai

'Chopin' ka naghma bajta hai

Shailesh took a day off from his office to join us on this trip to Montmartre .

CHINAR SHADE by Autarmota is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 2.5 India License.
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