The cobblestone street climbs steeply away from the hustle and bustle below. My leg muscles weakly protest as we ascend the hill. But it’s a straight shot to the top where the opening reveals an old windmill silhouetted across a deep blue sky. As we turn the corner, we know we’ve reached the Montmartre neighborhood in Paris. The back streets up here on the hilltop still carry the ghosts of the village that it once was. Old lamp posts, winding cobblestone streets, even a vineyard that sprawls across a corner lot all convey a bygone era. On this partly sunny day, a stroll through this area helps us imagine what it might have looked like back when it was populated with artists.
Upon our arrival to Paris on the TGV train from southern France yesterday, we walked to our rental in Le Marais. It’s a ground floor apartment with large windows that look out onto a peaceful courtyard, old wooden beams in the ceilings and stone floors covered with rugs. On a table by the entrance, we find a book describing numerous behind-the-scenes walks in Paris. Since it’s been a while since we’ve visited Montmartre, we choose it as our first hike. And since we’re using the Metro, we can get off at one stop and take the walk, ending at another stop. That’s how we end up in this neighborhood.
We always forget that Paris is not flat but we are soon reminded when it’s time to walk from the Metro to the top of the hill. Since it’s such a beautiful day, we choose to stroll, taking in as many sights as we can. There are two 17th century windmills along the way, remains from 13 that once populated this hill, formerly used to grind flour for what once was a working class village. As we walk by them, we continue to climb towards the only vineyard in Paris. It usually produces between 1,000 to 1,500 bottles of wine per year. The route we follow skims the tourist spots and takes us along back streets where the tourists are few and far between. At one point, we do pop up on a square where visitors take photos of the sculpture of the well-loved Dalida, singer and actress of years gone by. But mostly, we take alleys through parks and in between buildings and stop at spots where no one else is present. We visit the small church beside the Sacré Coeur, a haven of peace compared to the famous Place du Tertre where throngs of people mill around. We get glimpses of many interesting architectural features with a few signs such as “Picasso lived here” and “Renoir painted this” along the way.
On our way down, we stop to watch dogs playing at a dog park (with a distant Eiffel Tower as a backdrop), thinking of our own Sadie we left behind. After down staircases and steep streets and more stairs through a picturesque square, we arrive at our Metro station framed by one of the old remaining Art Nouveau fences.
It’s been a quiet, leisurely stroll through an enchanting part of Paris. Tomorrow, we hope to take an off the beaten track walk in a more modern area. There’s always something new to see in this city of light.