Today we had a classic tourist day (for us), a little bit of it all. We took the bus over to Montmartre for a visit. Our goal was a visit to the museum of Montmartre. It has a museum where some of the impressionists had studios, the works on display are mainly lesser known lights, such as Suzanne Valadon, Alfred Utter, Theophile Steinlen, & Maurice Utrillo but the paintings, engravings, lithos, and ephemera are so very interesting.
Artists who worked there included the above but also Renoir, Degas and likely others. Suzanne Valadon and her husband Utter, lived in the main house along with Utrillo her son. They have reconstructed the apartment in which they lived long with the studio she where she worked.
There is a garden between the two museum buildings created by Renoir when he lived in the second building. It coincidently is the oldest house in Montmartre still in existence, dating back to the 17th century.
Attached to the property is one of the last surviving vineyards in Paris, and they still make wine with the grapes. Each year after the wine has been created they have an auction to support the local community and sell it by the half-bottle. I guess it's pretty low grade but they have pretty spirited contests to own it.
We had lunch at the Maison Rose which is an historic restaurant just down the hill a bit from the Place de Tertre, and just above the Lapin Agile. Of course after we ordered lunch I noticed a sign hat stated that no credit cards or checks were accepted and since our wine basically ate the entire cash hoard we were in trouble. I had to trot up the hill and find a cash machine to get the money to pay for lunch, oops. The Lapin Agile is a cabaret where artists such as Picasso, Van Dongen, Braque, and others partied the nights away and where occasionally Picasso was known to shoot his pistol into the air. This part of the hill is much quieter than the top but still many walking tours come through, seeing the sights.
Artists who worked there included the above but also Renoir, Degas and likely others. Suzanne Valadon and her husband Utter, lived in the main house along with Utrillo her son. They have reconstructed the apartment in which they lived long with the studio she where she worked. 
Attached to the property is one of the last surviving vineyards in Paris, and they still make wine with the grapes. Each year after the wine has been created they have an auction to support the local community and sell it by the half-bottle. I guess it's pretty low grade but they have pretty spirited contests to own it.
We had lunch at the Maison Rose which is an historic restaurant just down the hill a bit from the Place de Tertre, and just above the Lapin Agile. Of course after we ordered lunch I noticed a sign hat stated that no credit cards or checks were accepted and since our wine basically ate the entire cash hoard we were in trouble. I had to trot up the hill and find a cash machine to get the money to pay for lunch, oops. The Lapin Agile is a cabaret where artists such as Picasso, Van Dongen, Braque, and others partied the nights away and where occasionally Picasso was known to shoot his pistol into the air. This part of the hill is much quieter than the top but still many walking tours come through, seeing the sights. 
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