Four Days in Paris

After leaving the cemetery, I retraced my steps along the Rue Joseph de Maistre, hoping to find further evidence of the artistic, musical, and literary history of Montmartre.

The plaque (below) on the wall of number 54, tells us that from 1886 to 1888 the painter Vincent Van Gogh lived here, at the home of his brother Theo. Their apartment was on the 3rd floor.

After leaving Van Gogh's house, I took a short cut up the steep Rue Tholozé to the top of Rue Lepic.

Along this stretch of Rue Lepic are the remains of two of more than 30 windmills that once dotted the Montmartre skyline.
The picture (right) shows the rebuilt Moulin de la Galette, originally dating from 1622. It is said that Debray, one its mill-owners, was crucified on the windmill's sails during the 1814 Seige of Paris.
By 1900, the mill had become a famous dance-hall and provided inspiration for many notable artists such as Renoir and Van Gogh.

Next I headed via Place Dalida, along Rue St Vincent towards the Montmartre vineyard opposite Au Lapin Agile.

The name Au Lapin Agile is derived from a sign on the wall, painted by André Gill, which shows a rabbit escaping from a pot (Le Lapan à Gill). "À Gill" eventually became "Agile".
At the turn of the century, the club was popular with artists and intellectuals, and in 1903 was bought by the cabaret entrepreneur Aristide Bruand.
Opposite Au Lapin Agile, on Rue San Vincent, is the Montmartre Vineyard, the last surviving vineyard in Paris. The start of the grape harvest is celebrated here on the first Saturday in October.

After calling at the Musée de Montmartre, only to find it closed on Mondays, I continued along Rue Cortot and reached house number 6, once the home of Erik Satie (1866-1925), perhaps most famous as composer of the haunting Gymnopédies for piano.

Leaving Rue Cortot, I headed towards the artists' quarter in the Place du Tertre. But first I needed to find a suitable café where I could sit outside and have lunch. I eventually chose Les Coulisses (below).