November 2nd, 2007 - To Paris

Welcome Back to Paris

Linguistically, Belgium is an interesting country, with many competing languages.  Flemish and Dutch dominate spoken word, with a few pockets of French and German holding out.  So, the lesson learned is, that when transferring trains, look for the literal name printed on your ticket and/or anything slightly resembling your destination as well.  

(Neither one of these names was listed on the published itinerary.)


Four train transfers later, Gare Du Nord came into view. This station is an old friend, so walking down the long platform brought the comfort of familiarity.

After checking into the hostel on Montmartre, it was time to wander the city.  Standard first afternoon procedure is to put the map in my back pocket and walk until I'm noticably lost or tired, then take the map out and find my way back.  Some days the results are better than others.  Today, I had the experience of wandering working class neighborhoods and shopping districts.

Then I saw this building and knew exactly where I was, by the opposing structure across the street.  As a blind quiz, I bet my friends Mat and Fran may have been the only ones to recognize this building from one of their favorite movies.

Yep, this is the building from which the sound stage in Sydney was modeled for the shooting of the movie Moulin Rouge, with the top floor of this flat iron building serving as Nicole Kidman's apartment.

Focus was actually on the other side of the street with consistent crowds thonging the center boulevard strip to take pictures of this famous wind mill.

Montmartre and the hostel were just up the hill, so I started the climb.  By the time the hill's crest came a light drizzle added to the ambience, with Sacre-Coeur peaking up the side alleys.

This restaurant lays claim to being the longest continually running establishment in Paris.  Apparently, the impressionist masters would frequent this location among others, trading their paintings for food and drinks, and drinks, and drinks.  It is nice to look at the impressionists and overlay a different creative atmosphere than reality, but...

... with the help of Henri de Toulouse Le Trek, as absynth mix master, chemist, and sometimes patron of inebriation for Manet, Van Gough, and the boys, it was no wonder that these great artists left the world of perfect definition for musical and visual tone poems or impressions.  It kind of makes you wonder if impressionism was accidentally founded through absynth induced halucination while painting and in a straight moment they stood back and thought, "Hey, that's not so bad."

Monte Martre means mount of the martyr, after Saint Denis who was executed here in 250 AD.  The Basilica of the Sacred Heart or Sacre-Coeur was erected on the hill's summit and provides some of the best views of the city.

The white stone in impressive when lit up at night and on a clear evening is a beacon for the rest of the city.

Tonight is not a clear night, with the Eiffel Tower blurred by the falling evening mist.  But really, who cares?  It is a first night in Paris and even with bad weather the local vibe and general experience is invigorating.