Hiking among the dead in the Père Lachaise cemetery
The cemetery was built in 1804 as the city from the room ran for new graves within its borders. It was named after Louis XIV's confessor, Père François de la Chaise (1624-1709), who lived in a house near the cemetery land.
At the time, the locals as the Graveyard too far from the city. Père Lachaise had only 13 graves first year. However, administrators with a plan and with great fanfare, transfer the remains of Jean de La Fontaine (fabulist) and Molière (Playwright), two famous Paris artists Père Lachaise.
The strategy worked, and called for people to be buried with the cemetery famous new residents. Today there are more than one million people buried here, and it is still an active cemetery, although to be buried here, you must have lived, or died in Paris.
marvel at a bright beautiful day waking up, I headed to the cemetery at the graves, mausoleums and tombs of the dead. During a rainy day was longer à propos , I greeted the sun (I was missing an umbrella).
People have always had a fascination with death - we have to write, sing and think about for ages. We devote much of our lives on this eternal question to think about: "What's next?" So it is no surprise to me that cemeteries have become tourist attractions.
for me among the dead go both inconvenient and interesting at the same time.
I tend to feel uncomfortable because I think: "Here we are, gawking at the graves of the dead as they are some museum exhibition to flirted." the dead cry become a sideshow as people: "Hey look, I have a picture of Jim Morrison's grave Yay!" Perhaps it is because we, we want to come to the famous people too close never too close could get in life is. I do not know, but whatever, is the reason I tear a dozen photos of Édith Piaf grave, I know I'm guilty of it too.
But more than uncomfortable, I'm around me always interested in people. Who were they? What lives they lead? Were they happy? Sad? Had they loved, lost souls, artists, hypochondriac? I like to imagine they dissect through the ups and downs of life that we all face, or witness a historic event we are now in the history books.
It is easy to get lost among the huge crypts and trees. Covering 110 acres, the cemetery rises along a hill, with the older center is a jumble of narrow streets and long-worn names and the newer graves created blocks in perfect city. The mossy graves and tree-lined cobblestone streets hide the sounds of the city. What remains your steps and the squawks of crows are you that remember this day of life, death is everywhere.
Most visitors are Édith Piaf, Jim Morrison, Oscar Wilde, Honore de Balzac, Molière, Chopin, Max Ernst, and others: on the cemetery of the famous people buried here drawn. Take a break for these graves, while the rest of the dead to leave (and live) unperturbed.
I wandered through the graves, struck by the silence and the enormity of the graves. Many of the mausoleums seem fit for kings and statues, art spectacularly decorated and represents sculptures angels and scenes of mourning. These people wanted to be remembered. As I wandered around, I found a contrast to the graves of celebrities who seemed to want the opposite. Celebrity graves were often the simplest, as if they are not in the death no longer wanted in the spotlight they had in life.
I spent hours to visit the cemetery, often sitting in silence, which buried me those around. admire Visiting the graves of so many people, I made me feel strangely connected them. I paid my respects and thanked them for the influence they had in my life. I just hope I will achieve half of what they were doing in their lives
Directions :. The best way to get here is that not to take. 2 or not. 3 line and get off at the "Pere Lachaise".
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