Friday through Sunday 11-13 April 2008

This past weekend I “treated” myself (Amy is still in Houston) to a quick jaunt spending time doing what I have found to enjoy. Climbing stuff and walking around in old cemeteries.

Except for one small caveat…

This trip was to Paris.

Yes… after jumping on the Eurostar, I spent the weekend wandering the labyrinths of the Gardens of Stone, reminiscing with the gargoyles atop Notre Dame and sitting in bistros drinking Leffe while eating crepes filled with coconut and chocolate. There were a few disappointments as The Catacombs were closed due to refurbishments (they were SUPPOSED to have re-opened in April) and the rib steak and frites at Les Relais de l'Entrecôte was a bit disappointing.

BUT… Did that dampen my spirits? I think not.

Now… I understand why the queues for the opportunity to climb the 400+ narrow steps to the towers of Notre Dame are so long. It's because they only allow 40-60 people up in increments of ~20. Even WITH the wait, it was well worth it.

Well… for me it was, especially when Quasimodo performed his chores in the bell tower while I was on top at 11:00 AM.



Then a quick visit to Ste. Chapelle, a gothic chapel originally built in 1239 to house the remains of Christ’s crown of thorns and bits of the True Cross that King Louis “acquired” from Constantinople. The most visually striking aspect of this was the original stained glass that survived the destruction of the French Revolution.


What can I say about the grand cemeteries of Paris?

COMPLETELY different from anything I’ve visited to date. The family vaults and detailed somber statuary literally blew me away.

First was a Saturday visit to Montparnasse which opened in 1824 as one of the three principal cemeteries of Paris. It was generally flat and easy to transverse, yet it would have been easy to have gotten lost amongst the tall vaults and monuments.

What I found fascinating were the small family vaults. Some were enclosed and included family mementos and photographs, while others were open which allowed an occasional respite from the rain.

The details in the statuary were phenomenal to say the least.

Pere-LaChaise is Paris’ (and one of the world’s) largest cemeteries AND one of the most popular tourist attractions in Paris. Opened in 1804, its 109 acres include some of the world’s greatest names of history. It’s difficult to describe the grandeur of some of the monuments and tombs. Combine that with the expanse of the grounds, the winding paths, the steep hills… and well… let’s just say one could have spent all day

I only scratched the surface of what sites this cemetery had to offer.

As difficult as it was finding my way around even WITH a map, it seems that all roads led...

To...

That’s right. How could I not attempt to locate Jim Morrison’s burial site (supposedly).

Then... there was Paris by night.

This little whirlwind trip left me tired and aching which, of course, has NOTHING to do with age.