Place Blanche is the heart of Pigalle. The square owes its name to former plaster work. Yvette Guilbert, Valentin le Désossé, Jane Avril, the Goulue performed in the Moulin Rouge, a temple to the French-cancan. In the theatre, wearing his bowler hat, Toulouse-Lautec used to sketch them. Later Mistinguett, Maurice Chevalier (with his boater!) and Joséphine Baker appeared. And today, the revue is still there.
Walk up the rue Lepic to reach Montmartre. Long and tortuous, this is the former chemin des Carrieres which was laid out under Napoleon III. It links boulevard de Clichy (at the Blanche metro station) with place Jean-Baptiste-Clément, at the top of the Butte Montmartre. In the autumn, vintage cars come here to compete ... in slowness: trying to climb the street without stalling!
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