Montmartre

On a hill in the northern part of Paris lies the area known as Montmartre.  It is believed that the name is derived from ‘Mount des Martyrs’, as this is hill is associated with the beheading of St. Denis.  Because it was originally outside of Paris, it was attractive to those who wanted the advantage of Parisian life without the Parisian price. On the left you see the old Paris and on the right the Moulin Rouge, a landmark of Montmartre. Home to artists, performers and sex workers, Montmartre has a rich history and an even more lively history of its inhabitants.

Among those who one called Montmartre home were Parisian actress Dalida, painter Vincent Van Gogh and painter Pierre August Renoir.

 The Coquelicot, a restaurant known for feeding starving artists for the price of a painting, once counted Vincent Van Gogh among its patrons.  He lived with his brother Theo in an apartment with one bed, which they took turns to sleep on.

Pierre August Renoir’s Dance at the Moulin de La Galette was painted here.

And who is Dalida? She was a Parisian performer who’s love life was less than glamourous.  Before her untimely death in 1987 at age 54, she had lost four lovers to suicide. Apparently those who visit the last place she lived, as we did, would be cursed with her woes.  Fortunately our tour guide also showed us how to ‘uncurse’ ourselves.