Moulin Rouge

Where: Paris, France
When: July 20, 2013
With: Dave and family

After touring around the country of France, it was time to head back to the City of Lights to cap it all off. We focused our time on what has quickly become my favorite part of Paris, Montmartre, so that we had a prime-time location for the main event of our day: the Moulin Rouge.

After dropping off our bags at the hotel, I was tasked with giving an impromptu tour of the area. My solo day trip to Montmartre back in January made me practically an expert on the neighborhood, so I set off to lead the charge up Paris' largest hill.

The neighborhood looked completely different than my last visit. For one, it was actually sunny, not pouring rain. And second, it was summertime, and the crowds were about 5x larger than they are in the middle of January. 

The main square in this area, Place de Tertre, was where it felt like all the artists of Paris had set up their easels to paint their masterpieces. Now, it was instead filled to the brim with tables and chairs, extensions of the cafes that border it. The artists were regulated to painting along the outer edge of the eating area. However, I imagine any discontent about this change in scenery was mitigated by the drastic increase in potential customers. 

While I had enjoyed the warm crepes thoroughly in the chilly winter air, eating ice cream in the hot sun as we wandered around was a nice alternative. 

The Basilique de Sacre Couer looks much prettier with a blue sky behind it rather than grey. The white facade gleamed in the bright sunlight, though the mass of tourists trying to enter was not pleasant. We skipped the lines by entering through the exit, which made for a much more enjoyable visit. 

 The views over Paris from the top of Montmartre were also far more spectacular. The whole city lay out below us and you could see for miles. 

We also revisited Paris' last remaining vineyard. At this time of year, the grapes were appearing on their small vines and the square block containing them had a much greener hue.

We parked ourselves outside for a drink at La Maison Rose. 

All this Bohemian living got us ready for the main event of the evening, a show at the Moulin Rouge. A cabaret show started in 1889, this was the birthplace of infamous French can-can dance. 

As night fell, we rushed from a very leisurely French dinner over to the theatre. It's pretty specatular (spectacular) when it's all lit up at night. 

Despite having tickets, tables were on a first come, first serve basis. You need to wait in a pretty significant line and are seated accordingly. The tables are tightly packed and the room is monstrous - it fits SO many people. Tiny lamps sit on each table and give off the glow of candles. The stage sits before you like a big, sparkly movie screen. Waiters walk around with bottles of bubbly (half a bottle per person!) and the murmur of the crowd is dotted by the frequent POP of a cork. 

The show itself was way more entertaining than I expected. While there were several dance routines of the Vegas showgirl type (aka, lots of boobs), there were some great in-between acts. Tumbling, ventriloquism, and feats of strength had us ooing and aahhing like we were back in the 19th century. My eyes were drawn in to the mess of rhinestones, feathers and colors. 

For a historically cheesy, fun night out, I'd highly recommend it.