Location, Location
Amélie’s enchanting boho Parisian neighbourhood
WITH its winding, hilly streets, iconic landmarks and bohemian haunts, Montmartre is one of Paris’s most enchanting neighbourhoods. Dreamers have long flocked here
to walk in the footsteps of the famous artists and writers who’ve hung out in this historic quarter – we’re talking Pablo Picasso, Émile Zola and Claude Monet.
More recently, another Montmartre-based character caught the imagination of Parisians and tourists alike. Sweet-natured Amélie Poulain is portrayed by Audrey Tautou in a quirky romantic comedy that plays out across the French capital but mainly in the 18th arrondissement, which includes Montmartre.
A must for Amélie pilgrims is Café des 2 Moulins (cafedesdeuxmoulins.fr) on rue Lepic. Two minutes’ walk from Blanche Métro Station, this down-to-earth, espressoscented establishment employed dear Amélie as a waitress. It still looks more or less as it did on screen, although the tabac (tobacco counter) that featured in the movie has
since vanished. Framed photos and
Amélie posters now decorate the café’s walls and the clientele is noticeably more international; I hear a woman with an American accent order the Goûter d’Amélie, a snack of crème brûlée accompanied by hot chocolate (you can also have it with coffee or tea).
Stroll past a string of boulangeries, crêperies, bistros and boutiques until you reach La Maison Collignon (56 rue de Trois Frères), the corner grocery store that was the backdrop to several humorous scenes. As well as pears, apples and oranges,
you’ll find Amélie-themed postcards. Continue uphill, through a tangle of narrow alleys, and you’ll soon be in the shadow of Sacré-Coeur. From the square in front of this glorious white basilica, enjoy a fabulous panorama of Paris – as Amélie did – then descend the steps by the terraced gardens to Place Saint-Pierre, where she spied on her love interest, Nino Quincampoix (Mathieu Kassovitz).
The payphone she used to call him is no longer there but the traditional merry-go-round remains. As you watch it twirl, Amélie’s charming, accordion-fuelled soundtrack will no doubt be running through your head.