Paris Red Light by Night

Near Montmartre/Place Pigalle between the 18th and 9th arrondissements lies the red light district with its night clubs, sex shops, bars, prostitutes and cruisers in all their glory.  Boulevard de Clichy is the main drag. If you are female, I do not recommended that you walk alone at night here (as I did), or you will find yourself on the fast track to learning all kinds of shady French pick up lines.  It's actually a very interesting walk, just use your best judgement.

This is the place to see the famous Moulin Rouge, but shows are pricey and the long queue outside was enough to deter me. You can also check out the Museum of Eroticism for a good giggle.  I found it more fun to just wander.What was good enough for Toulouse-Lautrec, Picasso and Van Gogh is fine by me.

You'll also find a good amount of musical instrument shops around this area. Perfectly logical, right?

Montmartre Cemetery

What would a walk around Montmartre be without a visit to the beautiful Montmatre Cemetery? This one is a real gem, with some truly gorgeous monuments and a broad range of famous permanent Parisians.

The cemetery is below street level and is visible from the bridge above. Follow signs for a staircase down to the cemetery itself. If you want to get your bearings via map or GPS, seek out this address: 20 av. Rachel  18^th arrondissement. When you arrive, grab a general map in the visitor's center near the front gates. A map of famous grave sites is posted just after the entrance.

Chanteuse Dalida

Francois Truffaut

Alexandre Dumas (fils)

Alexandre Dumas (fils)

Alexandre Dumas (fils)

Edgar Degas

It's relatively easy to get turned around and lost in this cemetery and the maps don't make elevation differences such as hills and the staircases to access them very clear. Still, a visit to this cemetery isn't too terribly overwhelming and you should be able to have a decent visit with just a couple of hours time.

For lists of famous graves check out the wikipedia site:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Montmartre_Cemetery

Montmartre, je t'adore...

 Here are some photos of some of the beauty along the way to L'espace Dali as I was walking.  I love the smattering of street art/sculpture that I encountered on the trek.

Get your head cheese...no thanks.

The lovely view from the top.