Martyrs and Jesus and Ho’s. Oh my!

The previous post - being about gods, kings and mothers - needed an appropriate follow-up. But please do not jump to any conclusions or make any unintentional connections. Sure, you may be thinking gods don’t die and martyrs do; some people, such as Pilate, made a connection between Jesus and being King of the Jews; and Jesus who gets a lot of “window time” at so many churches is often seen with his mother and was known to cavort with Mary Magdalane who some thought to be a whore. So, if one were to draw any conclusions about the titles of my blog entries, maybe it’s that we all share some connection whether we be a god, king, martyr or whore. Knowing that I’m not likely to achieve god or king status, it’s time to explore other options! Fortunately, I’ve got some time on my hands.

And now for something completely different… more sites and monuments.



It’s Friday, my mother’s last day in Paris and we’re off to Montmartre. Sacre Coeur, perched at the top of the hill, is a relatively new having been consecrated in 1919. Hordes of tourists flock to this white wonder (it’s not a church, it’s not a cathedral, it’s a bascilica) for the amazing panoramic views of Paris. After enjoying a couple of pastries while looking out over the Paris skyline, we headed inside where it was much cooler. (Hint: on a hot day in Europe, head to a church.) Afterwards we wandered over to Place de Tertre. Montemartre attracted writers and artists in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Now it attracts tourists, portrait artists and caracturists. And some are pretty darn good.

Winding down the hill, we passed the little market that “Amelie” shopped at in the film. My friend Michael used to live in this neighborhood and told me that one day he was passing by and bumped into someone he knew from high school. She was making a movie. I’ll have to ask if he has seen Audrey Tatou since that random encounter. (As mentioned in a previous post, you never know who you will run into in Paris.)

Further down the hill we stumbled across yet another church. Though not the one we were looking for, it was dedicated to martyrs of World War II. And of course, there’s Jesus on his cross. [Side note: While visiting the Louvre we saw a painting where someone was helping Jesus carry his cross. Apparently we all have our crosses to bear, but I guess even Jesus doesn’t have to bear it alone.]

And then on to Pigalle. Sex. Sex. Sex. Walking along the tree-lined path down the center of the road, we must have passed a couple dozen sex shops on our way to the world famous Moulin Rouge. Being good tourists, we took photos in front of the famous red windmill. Being cheap tourists, we didn’t spend the money to see the “musical dance entertainment for adult visitors from around the world.” Notable performers have included Edith Piaf, Frank Sinatra and Josephine Baker. The Moulin Rouge has lost much of its reputation as a high class brothel – but it’s still an inspiration for many people and films.

It’s late afternoon and we’ve been out all day. Do I ask my mother if she would like to go home and rest? Nope, I suggest we head over to Charles de Gaulle Etoile to check out the Arc de Triomphe. After emerging from the Metro station, my mother’s focus is immediately drawn to… street performers. Unfortunately, we just missed the break-dancing, so I aim towards a tunnel. “Where are we going?” she asks. It just goes to show that in Paris, due to all of the distractions, one can completely miss a major monument right across the street. Yes, we climbed to the top which is where we took our picture. This IS as close as we got to the Eiffel Tour. My mother had seen enough monuments and stairs and paintings and churches and martyrs and kings and tourists for this adventure.