Passage of the poets...#45

The rue Delambre , nearby Montparnasse, is haunted by all the artists which went through it one day or another. I lived there for about four years and often found new hints of their past presence. The hotel Delambre had Tristan Tzara and André Breton staying during the 20's, one can imagine how the surrealist wizzard poet and the ultimate creator of Dada could have troubled the walls of the hotels with their comvulsive creations in progress. Modigliani used to go to one of the numerous bars which are spread along the street.
There was also a small restaurant, nearby a cute lingerie boutique, called "l'auberge de Bourgogne" which disappeared during the 90's to be replaced by an arty bar called "Smoke", after Paul Auster's movie.

Quickly the new place gathered lots of students and a part of the intellectual gentry which lived nearby. The atmosphere was cosy and the prices very reasonable, there were often jazz musicians jamming during evenings.
Unfortunately last year, the owner of the building decided not to renew his renting contract as he wished to install a bank office in the walls. A rescue committee was created which managed to collect hundreds of signatures and deposit a request in front of the mayor of Paris so that this unique spot could stay unharmed. And eventually they won, the Smoke is here to last. It has also been dear to me as it is the bar I had chosen to invite Ms Xquisite to share exotic cocktails with me when she came to Paris and we met. I would have hated this nice memory to be erased from my wanderings.