My brother and I picked a fitting destination for November 1—Paris’ most famous cemetery, the Cimetière du Père Lachaise.
It was a nice walk across the city. Paris was more lively than I had thought on All Saints’ Day, and the weather was nicer than expected. Like, it wasn’t pouring, just a few showers, and a few sophisticated family vaults inside the cemetery provided shelter (what? I hate getting soaked!)
Père Lachaise is the last resting place of many notable figures, from Honoré de Balzac to Mano Solo (one of my favourite singers when I was a teen), from Alfred de Musset to Jim Morrison.
It’s huge so it’s never really crowded but it’s a real maze and finding the graves you’re looking for is a challenge. It’s also interesting to see who is “popular” even decades after leaving this world. For instance, all the Polish tourists were gathered around the grave of Chopin, while a few teens were completely puzzled in front of Jim Morrison’s grave:
“Why are there so many flowers?”
“I’ve heard he was quite famous back in the day…”
Damn, I feel old. Jim Morrison, kids!
Cimetière du Père-Lachaise, ParisCimetière du Père-Lachaise, ParisCimetière du Père-Lachaise, ParisGrave of Alfred Musset, Cimetière du Père-Lachaise, ParisCimetière du Père-Lachaise, ParisCimetière du Père-Lachaise, ParisCimetière du Père-Lachaise, ParisCimetière du Père-Lachaise, ParisCimetière du Père-Lachaise, ParisCimetière du Père-Lachaise, ParisCimetière du Père-Lachaise, ParisGrave of Balzac, Cimetière du Père-Lachaise, ParisCimetière du Père-Lachaise, ParisCimetière du Père-Lachaise, ParisCimetière du Père-Lachaise, ParisCimetière du Père-Lachaise, ParisCimetière du Père-Lachaise, ParisCimetière du Père-Lachaise, ParisCimetière du Père-Lachaise, ParisCimetière du Père-Lachaise, ParisCimetière du Père-Lachaise, ParisGrave of Alain Bashung, Cimetière du Père-Lachaise, ParisGrave of Mano Solo, Cimetière du Père-Lachaise, ParisCimetière du Père-Lachaise, ParisGrave of Jim Morrison, Cimetière du Père-Lachaise, ParisCimetière du Père-Lachaise, ParisCimetière du Père-Lachaise, ParisCimetière du Père-Lachaise, ParisCimetière du Père-Lachaise, ParisCimetière du Père-Lachaise, Paris