Montmatre

Thursday - a beautiful day with clear skies and the garden is full of iris blooms. I have to go the JB library this afternoon but we decide to make a visit to Montmarte this morning for old times sake.
How things have changed - the narrow street that runs up from Anvers station is full of tat and over priced souvenirs (there used to be some upmarket shops here) and the crowds are amazing (I hate to think what it is going to be like in June/July).
Note: we have usually been here in early April so maybe the crowds are normal for this time of year but there certainly doesn't seem to be a recession here.
Fortunately our rail pass covers the funicular and we are soon standing outside Sacre Coeur marveling at its timeless beauty. The view back over Paris is pretty good although there is some pollution.
As we still have a little time we decide to walk the few blocks to the square where artists have traditionally plied their trade only to be confronted every 2-3 metres by a man with a sketch pad wanting do to a portrait (there is obviously an overflow from the square these days - is it because of more tourists, more artists or just more people seeing a way to make a quick buck out of gullible tourists?)
The square has also changed, half of the central part where artists used to work has been taken over by an outdoor cafe (obviously more profitable for the landlord!) and the painters, sketch artists and silhouette cutters are pushed to the margins. There is also a change in the styles and content to meet contemporary art expectations, although we find one old timer who has been here for as long as we can remember. Its very sad really but the same the world over - everything changes to meet the expectations of the tourist because that is where the money is.
On our way back we stop by the building where Ray Arnold worked over several years on his French suite of work and note that it is also being renovated to make way for apartments. It is a great spot adjacent to the top stop of the funicular and apartments will probably sell for a lot of money but the old print studio had stood there for such a long time and seen the birth of great works by Henri Rousseau and others (including many Australian artists) and it seems such a shame that all that history has disappeared (including the ancient litho presses).
When I return to the studio from my labours in the JB library and have a coffee we decide to go for a walk as it is such a balmy evening. we cross over the bridges and up the short street to Boulevarde St Germain. I point out the hotel with the turret room where I stayed in 2005 and, as we proceed up the street, we spot a phone shop that actually has a €29 phone. After some discussion in french the owner agrees to explain all the details to me in English (my French probably grates so much that it is a relief to switch to English). Phone fixed we continue up the boulevarde and return home via Notre Dame. It is about 9.30 and still quite light and warm.