The Innocents Abroad, 21st Century Version

Today I am happy to share pictures and then some, from two recent visits to Montmartre.

Andy and I did a self-guided walking tour of Montmartre on Saturday and it felt like the entire city was out partying in this neighborhood, just like the days of the Belle Époque. We saw the many landmarks along our route, honoring the artists who established the area and popularized their nightclubs. Since Montmartre wasn’t absorbed into the city of Paris until 1860 and was way up a hill, more established Parisians avoided the area which made it the perfect place for the bohemians. At the top of mont (222 steps up, although there is a funicular) is the gorgeous Basilica of the Sacre Cœur which was built around the turn of the 20th century. and was financed by public contributions.

We finished our day at a super Italian restaurant in the Marais called Big Love. Walking through the Marais was quite a sight as people were pouring from the bars and cafes out and onto the streets. We thought everyone was in Montmartre until we got to the Marais!

On Sunday we switched to our three-month rental at 39, rue de Vaugirard. As luck would have it, the lift at #39 was broken (and of course our new abode is on the top floor). We (mostly Andy lugging all our stuff) made a few trips between the two apartments and settled in as Andy packed for India and my Class of 1985 BFFs arrived to keep me out of trouble. Funny, but they almost got in trouble on our Montmartre time together! We planned to rendezvous for a food tour of the neighborhood and they were stuck in Fashion Week traffic, having spent the afternoon enjoying the Gallerie Dior (a must-see, BTW). They decided to travel by Metro but didn’t realize that their card only accepted one ride at a time (so one of the three made it through the turnstile). No one wants to be late for a food tour so the last resort was for the other two to jump the turnstile and get on that train! Unfortunately, they went the wrong way but found Omar the cute French/English-speaking teacher to help along the way. I keep cracking up at the thought of the most law-abiding people I know, jumping the turnstile; they assure me that they bought their tickets!

Fear not, my friends met us in time to enjoy the chocolate and macaron that I saved for them and onto crepes and a fabulous dinner of wine, cheeses, pate, mustard, cornichons, jam and (many) baguettes.

Here are some pictures with my dear Duke friends:

And for those interested in some more observations:

•Green pants

•Silky slip dresses with Bobby socks and Mary Janes 

•Black short suits with black semi sheer hose. Chic Parisians took note of the runways at Milan’s Fashion Week. To quote Vanessa Friedman of The NY Times, “If there was a trend unifying the collections shown in Milan, it might have been short shorts, which appeared on almost every runway.”

•Birkenstocks – especially the Arizona and the Boston 

•Bicycles and scooters – watch out when crossing any street!

•if visiting Paris, bring your eyeglass prescription! Paris is to optical shops is like New York is to nail salons. We found fabulous tortoise accessories for our cell phones and reading glasses. So now I can look like a chic librarian!

•CityPharma is a MUST.

À bientôt❣️