While the top of Monmatre in the 18th may be overrun with tourists, the neighbourhood to left of the steps, before you go up, is beautiful and quiet. I often say this about Paris. The tourists stick together in very small areas of the city. Walk a block in any direction and you will likely rejoin the Paris of Parisians with little shops, bakeries, supermarkets and, of course, the Parisian bistro. Bistro’s are a magical place that are open at almost all hours of the day, always serve pretty decent food (some more than others) at reasonable prices (again some more than others).
This morning we were up very early and it was raining. We walked and walked in search of breakfast with little luck. Le Progrès was like a beacon shining through the clouds, a beacon offering a breakfast menu of boisson chaud (hot beverage, in our case a hot chocolate), croissant or tartine (baguette) and a jus d’orange pressé (fresh orange juice, although note that that doesn’t mean they “press” it there, it’s just store bought orange juice: we saw the carton! Secret’s out). The power of the bistro is that just sitting inside, or on the terrace, makes one feel Parisian, if only for a moment. The locals come in, chat with the waiter, share the latest gossip. We took all of it in (including the gossip)…except the hot chocolate which was not the best Paris offers (instead save room for a hot chocolate at Dengo, just a few blocks away).
Le Progrès, 7 rue des Trois Frères, 18e. 9:30-2am
