Searching For Kiki De Montparnasse

 I am leaving for Paris at the end of this week
but will also be exploring the beautiful city of Lyon and
the Rhone/Alps area as well.  But honestly for me, 
it's always all about Paris.

I found a cute little artist cottage to rent just off the major
streets of Montparnasse.  I have only stayed in this area of Paris
once many, many years ago but I thought it would be fun to walk
in the footsteps of some the Parisian greats.

While looking through photographs of Montparnasse, I
was intrigued by the mention of a most 
famous woman  of the 1920's.
Her name was Kiki De Montparnasse.
She was a French artist model, a nightclub singer, an
actress and a painter.  Kiki was considered to be one of
the century's first independent women.
 Montparnasse was well known for it's cafe society
where all the intellectuals and artisans would gather to drink
and exchange ideas.  On the Boulevard Montparnasse sits some of
the most famous spots in Paris where the cultural elite would meet.
Le Select was one of the most popular.
 And of course, La Rotonde just down the street.
Today, this is a very popular place for Sunday brunch.
 And my favorite ... Le Dome.
So beautiful and the food is wonderful.
An old boyfriend met me in Paris years ago and took me to 
Le Dome for my birthday.  In May, the oysters are
flown in from all over the world and if you are an
oyster lover, you think you might have died 
and gone to heaven.

I love the Art Deco decor and you can imagine seeing 
F. Scott Fitzgerald, Ernest Hemingway, Gertrude Stein 
and Henri Matisse sitting there enjoying
 a wonderful lunch or dinner.
 But it will be Kiki De Montparnasse that I will
be thinking about when I walk through the streets of Montparnasse.

How could you not be interested in a woman who said....
"All I need is an onion, a piece of bread and a bottle of red wine
and I will always find someone to offer me that."

She sounds like a delightful character and a good
subject for one of my painted pillows.
I will be searching for books and photos
of this most interesting Parisian femme.
Not sure I will be writing my blog while I am away
but I will be taking lots of photos and being inspired
by all the wonderful stories of this beautiful city.

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