21.7.08

More from Montmartre (2)

I’m reverting to my post of last Friday and with some more Montmartre spots which I believe are worth a visit, if you have the time. You can revert to the Google map in the previous post.

I recently told you about a small “wild” park, close to the Père Lachaise cemetery. There is a second, similar one on the northern slope of Montmartre, “Parc Saint Vincent”, neighbour to the vineyard “Clos de Montmartre”. It’s very discrete, open for visitors only Saturday afternoons during the summer months. It’s not extremely spectacular, but if you are really interested in wild trees, bushes and flowers, this may a place to go. Two young ladies, in charge of the park, collected frogpoles in the small pond, to be shown to some visiting kids later in the afternoon. In my Friday post, I showed some pictures from some nice private homes. Here are some other examples from a small street, called Villa Léandre.One curiosity, which you can normally only see from the outside, is the present home of FEMIS, the French state film school, actually European, previously called IDHEC. The school moved in here in 1999 in what used to be “Pathé” film studios. The school has got a number of – at least in France - well-known pupils like Malle, Resnais, Sautet, Schlöndorff, Zulawski, Corneau, Costa Gavras, P.Leconte, C.Miller, Téchiné, R.Enrico, J-J Annaud, Boisset... In the studios some of the more famous French films were partly shot, e.g. some of the most famous Marcel Carné films (see below).

I have a tendency to talk about cemeteries. The most famous one here is of course the Montmartre Cemetery on which I have made several posts. There is a second, very small one, the Calvaire Cemetery, open to public only one day each year (November 1) on which I also posted. There is a third and last one at Montmartre, the Saint Vincent Cemetery. Also here you can find some celebrities buried like composer Arthur Honegger, painter Maurice Utrillo, film director Marcel Carné (Quai de Brumes/Port of Shadows, Hôtel du Nord, Le jour se lève/Daybreak, Les Enfants du Paradis/Children of Paradise...), author Marcel Aymé (Le Passe-Muraille/The Walker-Through-Walls). A sculpture of Aymé, made by Jean Marais, representing him as a walker-through-walls, can be found outside his home at Montmartre. Finally, there is also another grave of the Debray family, owners of the last surviving Montmartre windmill, “Moulin de la Galette”. Four brothers of this family are buried at the Calvaire cemetery and there is a story linked to this, which I have already told, giving the background to the name “Moulin Rouge”. I know, this is again too long, but as a last souvenir from this walk around Montmartre, some flowers (and bees):

I will be away for two days. I'm sorry, but I will not have the time to visit your blogs. I promise to do it later!

33 comments:

PeterParis said...

(I posted Sunday afternoon instead of Monday morning.)

Noushy Syah said...

I'm sure the wild park like you said, is worth a visit...but again, near cemetery!!!

However,the blossoming flowers and the park definitely make a gr8 captured.

Happy WE Peter.Have a relaxing day yea.Take care.

Shammickite said...

I love the flower pictures... and you call them frogpoles?? Not Tadpoles? Beautiful pictures. I want to visit Paris again soon!

Alain said...

Là, tu t'es surpassé, il y a de quoi faire des commentaires pour toute la semaine, tu as bien fait de publier plus tôt.
Pour ta première photo, je dirais :
"Les escaliers de la butte
sont durs aux miséreux,
les ailes des moulins protègent
les amoureux..."

stromsjo said...

The colours of that villa coincide nicely with the sign superimposed in the center. Nicely stylished! ;)

Virginia said...

Peter,
Thank you for your lovely tour of Montmartre. I look forward to more. When we begin planning our trip in November, I will count on your expert help for wonderful sites such as these.

Olivier said...

je me répète, mais voila un endroit magique de Paris. j'adore cette vieille grille de pathe.
Je me demandais ou se trouvais la statue du passe-muraille (elle est pas dans le cimetiere) ?

Anonymous said...

I think you were a historian in another life.

I would love to live on that street.

Hope the days away are good.

hpy said...

Happy trip.

Anonymous said...

Beautiful photos.

lyliane six said...

Pas de nouvelles, bonnes nouvelles.
J'espère que tu as beau temps où tu es et que l'été arrivera un jour pour que je puisse faire ma montée en ballon.

Shionge said...

Very refreshing tour Peter and I have been rejuvenated by the sight of it :D

You have fun and take care.

Mona said...

I'm attracted to France like bees to flowers :D Soon it will start haunting my dreams & You will be responsible for that!

Look at that foliage lined path with rocky stairs, & that awesome villa! I Think I am in love with France!

claude said...

Ah! que c'est beau Montmartre vu du haut des escaliers de la Butte, comme dit Alain. Superbes photos, comme d'habitude Peter !

Maxime said...

Ce doit être bien agréable de demeurer dans un de ces pavillons "villa Léandre". Mais je n'ose même pas imaginer le prix du m² habitable !

HZDP said...

Yes, it looks just nice, and really Pete should cut down the length..But I've always enjoyed the photos you uploaded

Nathalie H.D. said...

Moi je ne trouve jamais tes billets trop longs, on y flâne avec bonheur. Merci pour toutes les infos sur la Femis, je croyais que ça s'appelait encore l'IDHEC, il est temps que je me réveille ! Je croyais que la Femis était un fonds d'aide à la création cinématographique.

Je te souhaite deux jolies journées de liberté. Moi je pars pour une semaine. L'air du large, ça fait du bien !!!

Kate said...

Peter, It's hard to say which photo I prefer, but I must say that I am quite fond of both the first and the last ones. Nice way to frame your post.

sonia a. mascaro said...

Gorgeous photos, Peter! Another wonderful tour. Loved Villa Léandre... so beautiful those houses with much flowers and plants around.

Marie-Noyale said...

J'apprecie particulierement ces deux derniers posts
Montmartre es un quartier ou il fait bon flaner...
Peut etre un peu en dehors des chantiers battus comme tu nous les montres ici.

Ming the Merciless said...

I love your photos of Parc Saint Vincent, especially the one at the bottom left of your collage, showing the pond with water and aquatic plants.

I rarely take photos of cemeteries mainly because they are few public places like that to visit in the city. Most of the cemeteries are located outside of the city.

Anonymous said...

As always: you are showing us the secret places of Paris, places, which are so nice and idyllic and interesting and where no tourist go because nobody knows them.

I hope you are having a nice time.

krystyna said...

Montmartre looks beautiful and the top photo is a great shot.

Enjoy your time, Peter!

Anonymous said...

Always on the lookout, I spotted one Swiss, Arthur Honegger, in the cemetery. Although a Swiss national he is probably more associated with France

PeterParis said...

noushy:
Thanks, I will try to take care!

ex-shammickite:
Tadpoles may be the right word! Sorry!

alain:
Les ecaliers sont un peu durs des fois, mais ça vaut la peine!

PeterParis said...

per:
Thanks!

virginia:
I would be happy if I can be of any help when you come!

olivier:
La statue es rue Norvins; je pense près ou Marcel habitait.

PeterParis said...

ruth:
I din't know about my previous lives..! :-)

hpy:
Kiitos!

abraham:
Thanks!

PeterParis said...

lyliane:
On fera la montée!

shionge:
So you look even younger now?

mona:
Still waiting for you!

PeterParis said...

claude:
Oui, on est bien "payé!

maxime:
Une maison comme ça par héritage… malheureusement un rêve !

zoe:
The next post is short!

PeterParis said...

nathalie:
L'air du large... ça a l'air sympa!

kate:
You don't have to choose!

sonia:
Yes, some kind of country house in the city...!

PeterParis said...

marie-noyale:
En dehors des sentiers battus, c'est bien, n'est-ce pas?

ming:
I have soon shown all the Paris cemeteries... but there are a few small ones left!

april:
... and now, you know about them (if not before?)!

PeterParis said...

krystyna:
Thanks for your always kind words!

richard:
I think that AH even changed his nationality, like our "friend" le Corbusier! Today, I think that nobody would like to give up a Swiss citizenship!

Ashley said...

Oh these pictures make me miss Paris. So lovely!