A Stroll With The Dead

Ever have one of those days when you just want to head out for a day with me, myself, and I? I woke up on Wednesday and thought to myself, I want a day out and about in Paris alone. I always have nice relaxing days when I go exploring with just me and my curiosities guiding me. So I decided to get dressed and all bundled up in scarf and coat and head to Père Lachaise, one of Paris' most famous cemeteries, buried there include so many great people from the past centuries. For me, it was like going to meet a celebrity, though having to search for her grave. My main motivation in going there was to visit the grave of Edith Piaf, probably France's greatest voices this century, to me, if not ever. I grabbed my map of the place that my friend had given me back in September when he went, and I was off, to spend a day with the dead.

Short little tangent from my day at Père Lachaise, on the RER to the cemetery, I finished reading New Moon! hahaha. FINALLY. Now I give myself permission to see the movie, which I will probably go see later this evening.

Anywho, back to my day...

I arrived at the cemetery, in a very normal, average area of Paris, but in the middle lies a huge cemetery! I walked through the huge gates and entered a mini-city with streets lined with graves and beautifully morbid mausoleums. I tried to capture the vastness of the cemetery and the countless tombstones, graves, and mausoleums, but you have to visit if ever in Paris, it is really a breathtaking place.

On the map I have, it plots out where a lot of the more 'well known' people are buried, including Chopin, Oscar Wilde, Jim Morrison, and for me, most important of all, Edith Piaf!





I wandered for what only seemed like an hour, but turned out I spent about four hours there. I found it very peaceful and relaxing, the perfect place to take a stroll and get lost in your thoughts.



I pulled out my iPod and put on some of Edith Piaf's music and walked through the cemetery as I looked for her. I thought it quite appropriate to be listening to her when I found her grave. Wandering and wandering, marveling in all the other beautiful graves, of people I know nothing about, but where obviously cared about.

So all in all I had a really wonderful day just wandering around Paris just relaxing, enjoying my own company.