Blue + Yellow fund raiser, Fete de la Coquille St.Jacques à Montmartre

 

❤️BIG MERCI PBers❤️ for helping Ukraine!🇺🇦🌻

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*This is a SCREENSHOT of the email I received from Paypal for the donations*

On Sunday, after painting blue & yellows all week, I took a break at Montmartre annual Fete de la Coquille St.Jacques festival at Abbesses. No, I did not climb up 144 metro steps. Instead I got off at Pigalle and climbed up the big hill.

Yes, I ate oysters.

And a bowl of soupe  de poisson (2,50€) as always/comme d’habitude.

No, I did not have any Kouign Amann this time

Yes, when I see vanilla anything, I have to try it

Yes, the little train is still running!👏👏

So sunny 🌞 on Sunday, 

So many Parisians out and about

The cafes were busy

Are Montmartre cafes cuter? Or is it the altitude that makes you think so.. 

This is the first time I saw a doggie carriage. 

Les Primeurs (fruit & veg stands) have extra special displays in Montmartre - berry boxes stacked on bottles!? 

I kept seeing blue + yellow in the windows, on streetwear, on Christophe RousselMacarons…is it me?

I painted more blue n’ yellows in  case you missed out first round. 50% goes to WHO (until March 31). 🌻Happy Printemps dear PBers🌻

Fete des Vendanges Montmartre

My first time visiting the annual October Fete des Vendanges Montmartre, Paris' 3rd largest festival. What was I waiting for?

A tiny vineyard up in the18th arrondissement on rue des Saules, Clos Montmartre, the only one in Paris producing wine since the 4th century.

The fete goes on goes on for 5 days with a presentation on the big weekend, a festive parade Saturday afternoon, a grand degustation (tasting) purveyors from all corners of France's hexagon sell sausages, charcuterie, oysters, honey, cheese and more for Friday through Sunday. Plus art exhibits, lectures, cooking classes, performances, contests, concerts.

All manner of confrerie (brotherhoods of local wine and dining societies) dress up in their velvet robes, banners, coats of arms, sing, dance, beat the drums. 

I managed to get inside the vineyard itself for the Ban des Vendages, where the maire of the 18th and other locals of note gather, sing, drum.

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Of course there's a queen of the Montmartre harvest every year. Movie actress Sandrine Bonaire was honorary guest along with renown poet-singer Jacques Higelin.

The back of the head of poet-singer Higelin..next year I'll do better.

What to wear to this event? If only I'd known.

If you're not a member of a Confrerie and garbed in Medieval dress, come in black and red like singer Aristide Bruant as Toulouse-Lautrec painted him like members of Republique de Montmartre. 

Next year I'll know better.

After the Saturday morning ceremony the feasting begins.

"Les Parcours du Gout" (journey of taste) from 10 am till 11 pm Friday - Sunday, followed by evening fireworks on Saturday night at Sacre Coeur.

Masses of Merguese sausages grilling to feed the masses of people. The Montmartre Vendanges is comparable to the Munich Oktoberfest in Germany on a smaller scale.

Gorgeous hams from Corsica, Basque, you name it.
*Buy the ham, not the ham sandwich (sandwiche jambon) for 5-6 euros. Only ONE slice within and no beurre, no nuttin'. There are far better choices. I learned the hard way.

A wide variety of wines to be tasted in tents set up around the butte (hill) Montmartre. *Bringing your own glass is not a bad idea.

Reclette is standard fare at these outdoor affairs.

*Better save yourself for regional specialties like the truffled omelette from the Sud-Ouest(7 euros). I should have...next year.

Or the freshly shucked oysters from Cancale, Brittany for a 10er. Wonderfully fresh and a major bargain in Paris.

Two plateaux around Sacre Coeur double-sided with French regional tasting. Quite an undertaking but so much fun. People picnic on the steps with goodies from the tasting. Who knew right in the heart of Paris? I wish I'd stayed for the evening fireworks. Next year.

La Fete de la Coquille

This weekend La Fete de la Coquille is taking place in Montmartre, Place des Abbesses. It's a DON'T MISS if you're in Paris.

As a scallop lover and all things Breton this fete is one of my favorites in Paris. *By the way I got kissed on the Metro by a complete stranger but more about that later.

The fete may look a bit rag tag under l'eglise St. Pierre de Montmartre but never mind.

The first stand offers the typically Breton crunchy cookies in apricot, lemon and bien sur caramel au beurre sale.

The same stand has the Breton buttery, caramelized cake, kouign amann hot straight out of the oven.

I saved mine for later and headed to the oyster table.

I ate these last year at the fete. They were just as good and the same prix/price - 7 euros a half dozen.

The oyster shuckers were having a ball.

You can buy a kilo of scallops/coquille au natural for 6 euros or 20 euros for almost a pound and out of the shell ready for the pan.

Ate the same fish soup as last year, just as good (2.50). A whole bottle is 3.50. I'm returning for this.

Hot from the pot with little croutons and rouille sauce. It's a good idea to arrive at the Fete famished.

Chef Vincent Premorvan of La Cotriade in Paimpol did cooking demos at the degustation/tasting station (3 euros each).

I ate two of his 'Noix de Saint-Jacques a la plancha, embeurrees de choux a la biere et lard/scallops sitting on sauerkraut cooked in beer and bacon. 

A good time was had by all.

A lively Breton band.

Les Commandierie du clos Montmartre were singing up a storm with the help of the vin chaud/hot spiced wine. Note the copper pot.

I didn't taste a galette saucisse or Renne hotdog. You can't eat everything. Nor did I taste the Brittany cider, sparkling apple juice, beers or champagne and wines on offer.

The famous mariniere T-shirts from Amor-Lux are always present at these fetes.

There were fish mongers too. Anyone wearing a red shirt is from Brittany.

Later in recovery I downed my kouign amann if one fell swoop and fell instantly asleep so this post is late.

Speaking of late posts, I've had problems with Feedburner. I'm so sorry many of you haven't been getting your PB. Thanks to brilliant genius Jeanne of 365 dresses things are fixed.

As for that kiss on the Metro - here's the gent what done it - 'je ne regret rien' Bon weekend.