Pere Lachaise Cemetery

One way of looking at visiting Paris is that death has become a good part of the tourist trade. Now that's not a bad thing, for it provides some great opportunities to see sights that are unique - not only in thier history, but can give you a new perspective on life, as well as death.

From the Catacombs, to the tombs to the cemeteries, you can make a week of visiting the dead.

In Pere-Lachaise cemetary, you can visit the famous and the not so famous while viewing some great works of sculpture like the one shown on the right. Musicians from Jim Morrison to Frederic Chopin call Pere Lachaise home. Thier neighbours are politicians, artists, and even the famous 10th century lovers Helosie and Abelard.

My visit was cut short due to a sudden downfall I wasn't prepared for, but I could have spent the day visiting the not-so-recently departed. It is a nice, quiet time to spend some time while in Paris and if you wander away from Morrison's grave, you'll find yourself being able to get lost in another world.

                    - Art Whitton