Amélie and Me

Montmartre, the setting for the film Amélie, is situated up on a hill in the Northern part of Paris. It was also a magnet for artists, writers, and musicians in the 19th century and home of the famous Moulin Rouge. I took a little walk there on this sunny afternoon. It wasn't too crowded (except for the Sacre-Coeur) and the light was great for taking photos, so let's take a look!

In the first two we have the only remaining windmills in Montmartre. The word "moulin" means mill, but the rouge one is just for looks these days.

St. Denis is the subject of the next two pictures. I thought he looked so funny standing there like that. Only later did I learn that he is the patron saint of Paris who was decapitated and supposedly walked 6 miles carrying his own head. (I guess it wasn't that unusual since there is a name for people who do this. Seriously. Just Wikipedia "cephalophore." Evidently, they posed a real problem for artists, who couldn't figure out whether to put the halo over the severed head or over the neck, where the head should be.)

Next you'll see a cool sundial. I think it days something like "When you strike, I sing," from the rooster to the sun.

The sixth and seventh photos show the only vineyard in Paris, the Clos Montmartre. No tasting allowed...

I like the next image because it's mixes daily life with spectacular scenery. It's like the gardeners saying "not only is this our compost pile, but we have a great view of Paris in the background." Wouldn't it be nice to own the land under that little pile of garbage? I also like it because it's a symbol of eco-friendly Paris. Everyone recycles, takes public transportation and/or drives electric vehicles or gas-savers, and generally works to conserve energy and reduce waste.

In the ninth image you'll see some examples of street art. I think I'm going to start a collection of photos like this. It's no Banksy, but you never know. Besides, Montmartre is allegedly where Picasso and Braque began to conceptualize Cubism. I can't imagine that went over too well at the time...

Lastly we have St. Pierre hanging out in his church which was consecrated in 1147. That's old! Peace, dude.