When you have finished looking around Sacre Coeur go to the front entrance and turn right along the Rue Azais. At the T junction turn right up Rue du Mont Cenis. Take the next left called Rue Norvins.

This leads into the square called the place du Tertre, the artist quarter. Artists such as Salvador Dali, Modigliani, Claude Monet, Pablo Picasso and Vincent van Gogh all had studios worked around Montmartre. At one time the artists of Montmartre were setting the trend of modern art in Impressionism, Cubism, Fauvism, and the development of Surrealism.

The Place du Tertre gets its name because it is situated on top of a 'tertre', which means a small hill. It is best to visit the Place du Tertre Artist Quarter in the morning to avoid the crowds The Place du Tertre at night can be a romantic location to visit with your sweetheart.

On hot summer days this is a gorgeous place because the big trees offer shade in the summer. The cobbled streets that surround the square are lined with typical French old style cafes. Small tables with checkered tablecloths and chairs are placed outside to attract customers. Ancient looking black iron lamppost add to the ambience.

The central square area is full of artist paint pictures and trying to sell completed work to passing tourists. Many set up a mini studio where they paint or draw portraits. Sitting outside one of the cafes or Bistros, sipping on a beer and watching the artists at work is my favourite past time on Paris.

At the end of the Napoleonic war the Russian army occupied Montmartre during their invasion of Paris. They used the height of the hill to place their artillery units to enable them to bombard the city. If you look carefully there is a memorial plaque on one of the cafes that says: On 30 March 1814 - here the Cossacks first launched their famous 'Bistro' and thus on this summit occurred the worthy ancestor of our Bistros.

A bistro, originally meant a small restaurant serving reasonably priced simple meals in a modest setting. Bistros were defined mostly by the type of foods they serve. Slow-cooked braised meats dishes are typically served in Bistros. The word bistro is believed to be derived from the Russian word which means quickly. The demanding Russian Cossacks who wanted to be served quickly would shout 'bystro'. Does that mean that the French Bistro was the world's first fast food joint?

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