Paris: Montmartre

Je vous parle d'un temps que les moins de vingt ans ne peuvent pas connaître. Montmartre en ce temps-là accrochait ses lilas jusque sous nos fenêtres et si l'humble garni qui nous servait de nid ne payait pas de mine c'est là qu'on s'est connu, moi qui criait famine et toi qui posait nue...

La Bohème, Charles Aznavour

The word Montmartre comes from Mons Martis, an ancient name meaning Mountain of Mars. The name was christianised in honour of Saint Denis, a martyr who was decapitated on la butte Montmartre around 250 AD. Located outside of Parisian city limits well into the 19th century, Montmartre was a village. Nuns made wine here- a small vineyard still operates on rue Saint-Vincent. The Russians launched an attack on Paris from the top of la butte Montmartre in 1814, during the Franco-Prussian War.

When Baron Haussman resolved to make Paris the most beautiful city in Europe, he and his friends inherited much of the land in central Paris, driving its residents to outlying areas. Many of them went to Montmartre.

Montmartre was annexed by Paris in 1860. It became the city's 18th arrondissement. The neighbourhood had a reputation for decadence and debauchery. It was home to artists and performers. Music halls like Le Chat Noir and Le Moulin Rouge sprang up. Cubism was born in the area; destitute artists, including Picasso and Modigliani, lived in an artists commune called Le Bateau-Lavoir, on rue Ravignan, in the early 20th century. Construction of Sacré-Coeur, the cathedral that now draws tourists to Montmartre, did not begin until 1876. The cathedral was completed in 1912, just before the beginning of the first World War.

Artists still gather in Montmartre, at Place du Tertre, but the area is not the Bohemian paradise of yesteryear, a fact that has been much lamented. Le Moulin Rouge now finds itself in Paris' red light district. A major trucking bridge runs over the Cimétière de Montmartre, the final resting place of many of the areas most famous residents. Granted, several films have recently been shot in the area, including La Vie en Rose and Amélie. And the neighbourhood has been given a historic designation, which limits development. The Lapin Agile is still open. If you care to take a walk up the hill, you can visit the two oldest windmills in Paris (once part of a fourteen-mill collective called Moulin de la Galette), le Blute-fin and le Radet.

Parisians lament the perceived decline of Montmartre- the influx of tourists, the increase in property prices, the lack of artistic community... Let my rebuttal by this; Montmartre was my home. I have only known it in its modern incarnation. Whatever it might have been once, it likely is not now, but all things change with time. I love the place for what it is; not what it might be. I love it anyway.

Montmartre is gritty. French is no longer its first language. The fabled artists have been replaced by North Africans, single mothers, young couples who can't really afford to live in Paris. Montmartre is a powderkeg. It seeths and strains, full to bursting. Discount bins of irregular socks line the sidewalks on boulevard de la Chapelle. Car horns, rickety grocery carts and the chant of bootleg cigarette vendors- "Marlboro, Marlboro, Marlboro! Rouge, jaune! Rouge, jaune!"- beat a constant rhythm. The scent of cooking crêpes is overpowered by the stench of gas-burnt chestnuts, sold out of oil drums. Play Three Card Monte. I dare you. If you have long dark hair, put a scarf over it. (If you don't, men will hiss at you. I'll let you guess why.) Posters inciting riots decorate the metro station. Knock-off Louis Vuitton purses are as good as any fakes you'll find, but beware of the peddlers holding bottles green-tinged of Chanel Number 5.

Fodor's will probably tell you to stay away from the neighbourhood. Run up the hill, they'll say, take a picture of the cathedral, run back down and get out.

They're wrong. The best thing you can do is spend time in Montmartre. Sure, hold your purse. But after a few days, the pickpockets recognise you as well as you recognise them. You know their scam, they know yours. It's business. And don't forget, rewards are often proportionate to risk. Walk down the dark streets. Brave Barbès-Rochechouart metro station at night- the gates are broken on an almost daily basis, so you rarely have to pay your fare. The truth is, if you walk just a few blocks from boulevard de la Chapelle and you'll find yourself in a charming, quiet neighbourhood. Put your map away and wander the narrow, winding streets. You're not lost as long as you can tell whether you're moving up or down hill. Visit the Espace Dalí Montmartre, and Église Saint-Pierre, the oft-ignored elder brother of Cathédrale Sacré-Coeur. Stop in at the Musée de la vie romantique even if you aren't a fan of George Sand. It's free, and worth while to admire the architecture in the old house, which has been standing since around 1820. Experience the eerie quiet of Cimétière de Montmartre. When you fall in love with this city within a city- and you will- visit the Musée de Montmartre. Housed in the Manoir du Rosimond- a manor dating from 1680 that belonged to Claude de la Rose, a member of Molière's troupe- once scheduled for demolition, the museum showcases the artistic and historic treasures of a vibrant area.

Montmartre still has some of the best food in Paris. When you're in the neighbourhood, enjoy Afghan cuisine on rue Paul-Albert; thin crust pizza on rue de Clignancourt; falafel on rue Ordener. Don't forget to pick up a fresh baked baguette at Boulangerie Clignancourt before you go. And on your way to the metro station, order a gauffre chantilly at the enormous crêpe stand on the median between the two sides of boulevard de la Chapelle. If you decide to stay nearby, you can enjoy these culinary wonders regularly.

Perhaps I'm biased, but I do think Montmartre is the perfect place to stay in Paris. It's central enough that transport to major attraction is quick and easy; at the same time, it's far enough that you can leave the majority of other tourists behind at the end of the day. It's quiet in the early morning and in the evening. Everything you need, from grocery stores to laundromats to souvenir shops and tourist attractions, is within walking distance. So much of the art that Paris is known for was created on its streets and in its cafés.

I know that if you give Montmartre the chance that tour books don't, you'll come to love it the way I do.