Victor Roth's Montmartre

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Lapin Agile
Montmartre, the Mount of Martyrs, is the 18th arrondissement of Paris and a place of extremes. Dominating the highest point in the city is the Basilica of the Sacred Heart, Sacre Coeur, an all white 19th century creation in travertine which overshadows the church of Saint-Pierre de Montmartre, a 12th century Romanesque gem.

Hugging the slopes of the hill are streets like Boulevarde de Clichy where sex shops and associated entertainments are wall to wall. In between are the places where people live.

Victor Roth may be the fictional hero of a series of novels but he had to live somewhere and I chose a small street in Montmartre for his home. Rue des Saulles, Street of the Willows, is a steep cobbled dead end off the busy Rue Caulaincourt on the unfashionable side of Montmartre.

Rue des Saulles ends in a set of steps that take many a tourist up to Rue St Vincent and the winding streets that hide houses behind ivy clad walls. Rue des Saulles is also a place of extremes but Victor calls it home.

From his fourth floor walk up apartment Roth can look into the Cemetery of St Vincent, half an acre of stone walled silence populated by the dead. At the other end of his street is the 'lively' Lapin Agile cabaret, another Victorian era creation. In times past it attracted pimps, anarchists and artists, one of whom was Pablo Picasso who immortalised its patrons in a 1905 picture.

These days Lapin Agile portrays itself as a conservatory of traditional French music and the tipple of choice is cherry brandy. It is not Victor Roth's cup of tea, hence it does not feature in the Roth series.

The last of Paris' vineyards is also in Montmartre as are some of the finest views of the city. Of course, the grounds around Sacre Coeur are a great vantage point. You can also stroll over to Rue du Mont Cenis and perch at the top of the stairs to see Paris framed by lines of Hausmann buildings that are set in tiers on the side of the hill.

The metro stops have romantic names like Abbesses and Montmartre is convenient for the Gare due Nord where Victor takes the Eurostar to travel to London where he sees his tailor in Savile Row. As I said, a place of extremes but I think it suits Victor.


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