day2-Montmartre feast market

Narrow winding slopes of hilly Montmartre was starting to sink into the bottom of dark-indigo evening. At the foot of the hill, the main street where the Metro station gargled out an intermittent flow of people was studded with cheap clothing stores lit with fluorescent lights and small stands selling sandwiches and Kabobs. To the east of the station, the street led to a suddenly flashy entertainment district of the 9th district, illuminated by evocative neon signs, with mysterious women dressed in black and feathers standing in the shadows of doorways of adult theaters. The big red sign of windmill of the Moulin Rouge shone in its deceptive innocence and joy, across the street from a seductive facade of a Musee' d'Elotique.

A brief ascent among brasseries and peep shows took us to a quiet, sophisticated residential area of Montmartre so close yet so distant from the light trap of the neighboring district. The distinct domes of Sacre Couer on the hilltop floated white above the roofs of four-and-five-story apartments. A turn on a corner suddenly opened up another busy street, this time with delicatessens, fish markets, butcher shops, produce stands, fromageries, bakeries and pattisseries, adorned with wreathes and swinging large shiny balls hung across the street. Older women with woven baskets, men and women still in their business attire, a boy carefully holding a big box of a decorated cake like a proud bearer of an immense wedding ring--it seemed as if all the people deserted their houses to gather in this festive street in preparation for their Christmas dinner. Shops along the street had set up makeshift stands under floodlights to accommodate all the foods more in quantity and better in quality than usual. An wooden stand with bed of crashed ice held crates after crates of different kinds of oysters and wedges of lemon in front of a fish market. Next to it was a table filled with beautifully decorated plates of pate's, cold cuts, salads, and olives from a delicatessen. Chocolate, coffee, orange, pistachio, praline, tastefully decorated Bush de Noel's were neatly arranged in the windows of bakeries, waiting to be picked up by a tempted customer. Totally envious of the abundance of fresh produce and the amazing variety of absolutely beautiful seafood available, we wandered and peeked through the thick walls of Christmas shoppers into almost every stands and stores, pledging to come back to pick up and try some when we were back in Paris two weeks later.

The contagious excitement of shopping for a feast of a special occasion released us at the end of the market street. Suddenly more tired than hungry, we dragged ourselves onto the Metro, heading back to the hotel. At the hotel, we climbed into the bed and lost consciousness in a matter of seconds, but thankfully without forgetting to set the alarm clock for tomorrow, when we had a train to catch in the early morning to Nice.
lobster in Montmartre market
Originally uploaded by uBookworm.