Pere LaChaise

     My husband and I went to Paris for a quick weekend trip to celebrate our anniversary and have an early Christmas together.  It's always been my favorite city in the world and our favorite city to go together; so when I won two free nights at a hotel, we said, "Why the heck not?"  We started the trip with the usual baguettes and cheese plates and lots of stops at cafes.

     By far, the best part of our trip was when we went to the Pere LaChaise Cemetery.  It's where so many of "the greats" are enjoying their eternal rest.  There's Edith Piaf, Jim Morrison, Moliere, Chopin, Oscar Wilde, and so many more than that.  You can read about a few of them here: https://listverse.com/2011/10/27/top-10-fascinating-graves-in-pre-lachaise/ .  I'd gone there a few times before this last trip, but this was my husband's first time in many, many years.  It was so beautiful and serene there.  We spent hours in the cemetery, traveling far off the beaten path to see the lesser-known graves that are crumbling and being taken over by Mother Nature.  Before, I'd always sort of rushed through just to say hi to Jim (Morrison of The Doors), the cemetery's most famous resident.  I think these pictures speak to the beauty and serenity of the place.

     I think the mausoleums that have chairs inside them are the most fascinating.  I don't know if they were for those sitting with the bodies during the first few days or weeks after their internment or if they are just worn out from those loved ones who came to pray for them.  Either way, they're fascinating and eternal reminders of those who were left behind.