Paris - Moulin Rouge

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Paris – Montmartre.

The drive into Paris was uneventful. We were warned that there might be noisy demonstrations underway in celebration of the May 1 national holiday. In fact the only thing we saw was a group of a couple dozen grey-bearded motorcycle riders who were trundling more slowly than necessary over a bridge, going in the opposite direction from us. For those who reside next to the Town of Port Dover, Ontario, that sees over 20,000 motorcycles every Friday 13^th, this was pretty tame stuff.

One item of interest: Paris is legendary for its impossible driving customs. Although I have seen plenty worse in a general way, in Athens and Rome for example, nothing prepares one for the anarchy that is "Le Etoile" circling the Arc de Triomph. Designed to be a grand promenade for horse and buggy combinations, it presently exists in a time warp. Twelve streets meet or begin at this place (which essentially a roundabout) including major avenues such as Le Champs Elysees. There might be eight or ten lanes in the roundabout, but you will never know because there are no lane markings. All manner of vehicular traffic, from bicycles and scooters, through buses and trucks, enter this circle, attempt to complete however many laps it takes to find the exit they need at the greatest possible speed, and depart with the only loud noise coming from a hundred auto horns that mostly announce “I am here!” If there is a louder noise, we are told, responsibility is 50/50 and tell it to your insurance agent. Our bus made it through without a loud noise, so good for Jerome.






Montmartre is both a hill and a district in the north of the right bank of Paris. The Romans liked to take Christians up this hill to behead them, and hence the name, Mount of Martyrs. We were dropped off on the Boulevard de Clichy just up from the fabled Moulin Rouge, where we boarded a little train which carried us up to the top of this 300-foot high hill. The crowds were intense.

A local guide somehow managed to herd us through teeming throngs and into the nave of the Basilica of the Sacré Coeur, which seemed to be a whole lot like all the other Basilici we had seen in other venues. We then attempted a walking tour of the area but it was mayhem and, even with radioed communication from our guide in our ear, any semblance of comprehension or organization was impossible. Having been told where and when to gather for the little train ride back down the hill Linda and I broke off from the group and elbowed our way through a gathering of artists in the square. Some of the work on display or in progress was quite good but we were in an “only looking” frame of mind and so found a cafe where, for a $10 cup of coffee, one could sit down for a while. The views of Paris afforded from this hill top are rumored to be quite good.




Paris - The Fabled Moulin Rouge

This evening we were to attend the fabled Moulin Rouge. Since this is an upscale-type joint, Trafalgar thought we would like to freshen up, and so delivered us back to our old friend, the Novotel Hotel Tour Eiffel for a couple of hours. Most of our troop did, indeed, get gussied up for this event (which cost about $220 each) and the rest of us just tried to find something with the least amount of mayonnaise on it.

The fabled Moulin Rouge was created in 1889 and is considered to be the birthplace of the "can-can" dance. We originally thought we wouldn't drop $500 on seeing this spectacle but, with all the fables and all, and this being Paris and all, changed our minds.

Like everything else in Paris, the fabled Moulin Rouge was packed. We were told that something in the order of 700 patrons sell out every show. Traflagar had scored some decent seats at the back of the orchestra tier and we settled in to see what was going on.

What was not going on was mostly clothes. Young ladies in various degrees of deshabillé leaped, kicked, gambolled and frolicked in a most heart warming fashion, interspersed with animal, tumbling and ventriloquist acts. It was an amusing diversion and the steak dinner was excellent.

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