One of my trips to Paris was in the late Spring. I had been to the French coast and was stopping in Paris on the way back to Germany. I had always heard about Montmartre, and “Pig Alley.” What 19 year old wouldn’t want to be there? I always wanted Toulouse-Lautrec’s job and his reserved seat at the Moulin Rouge. I didn’t want all his physical problems caused by an inbred family, but to have a reserved seat for the shows at the Moulin Rouge was a 19 year olds dream. Needless to say the show had lots of bare breasts but it was also a great show.
When I arrived from Normandy I got a hotel room and decided to go where the “action” was. Montmartre and that area was highly touted. There were more than a few prostitutes. They looked great from a distance. But as you got closer the smell would knock you over. Too bad they didn’t bathe a little more often.
I found this little no-name bar in Place Pigalle near the Moulin Rouge and once they got the message that I was there for the beer and not the girls it was a pretty nice place to hang out. On my second day in Paris I dropped in at the bar and got my table by the window. A few minutes later I became absolutely slack jawed when a Scottish Highland soldier walked in and sat at the bar. His uniform looked like the ones below.
He ordered a beer at the bar and was mobbed by an entire room full of whores. He got rid of them except for one rather pretty girl who made the mistake of grabbing his dagger that was in the long sock on the right leg. He grabbed her so hard she screamed and dropped the dagger. He picked it up and I thought he was going to stick her with it. She took off like a cut cat. After a moment in deep thought he stuck the knife lightly into his arm and drew some blood. He then replaced the knife back into his sock.
I couldn’t stand it I had to introduce myself. I walked over to the bar and invited him to sit with me at my table near the window. He accepted and we enjoyed a few pints together. When asked, he said that his regiment has a requirement that when the sgian dubh is drawn, other than for cleaning, it must draw blood. He thought it best to take a “wee bit” of his own rather than the “dirty girl’s” blood.
Turns out he was a guard at the British Embassy and had attended an afternoon tea for some dignitaries. He needed a little attitude adjustment so he “popped” over to Piggy Alley. We had a nice chat but never saw the guy again.
You meet some nice folks when you go some place new. Who would have thought that I would have seen a 5 star show, meet a very sincere Scottish soldier and share a place in history with a 5 foot midget?
If you were in the 594th, been to Grenadier Kaserne or even Place Pigalle feel free to leave a comment.
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