The Moulin Rouge is best known as the spiritual birthplace of the modern form of the can-can dance. The cabaret was built in in Jardin de Paris, at the foot of Montmartre hill, by Joseph Oller, the man who invented a new way of betting on the race tracks, which was later legalized by French authorities. The Eiffel Tower was also constructed in , and the Exposition Universelles took place in the same year too. So the taste of industrial progress and a rich cultural exuberance was in the air.
My first encounter with Moulin Rouge was, of course, through the excellent movie directed by Baz Luhrmann in , starring Nicole Kidman.
So, I had high expectations about the place, as we usually do. That windmill seemed to be promising something magicalβ¦. I got ecstatic first and quickly reached for my Lomo. But after a few minutes of clicking, I noticed something weird was happening aroundβ¦. The place was full of sex shops with their windows full of artificial penises and other kinky stuff, filthy looking peep shows, prostitutes, and dangerously looking pimps.
Exhausted, we decided to have a drink at one of the numerous bars. How surprised we were to find out that the price of a cocktail in that area was 25 euros per drink, and it was a special Happy Hour price as we were told by the unfriendly bartender.
Oh yeahβ¦. But if you are a brave Lomographer attached to your ephemeral dreams, go for it but make sure to quickly get out. I was really impressed with the picture, too. I shot without tripod and really thought they gonna come out shaky.
