Hey, I visited a graveyard.

So the title of this may be somewhat misleading. Most people would define the highlight of today's journey as our stop at the Notre Dame Cathedral and Pont Neuf. And I will not deny that the cathedral was downright beautiful, and it had that way of making you feel small, in both its enormity and grandeur. I also couldn't help but sing "The Bells of Notre Dame" during our entire visit.

However, my favorite section of the day was visiting Pere Lachaise Cemetery. I once again apologize for my eerie fascination with the dead. But I couldn't help but marvel at the great lengths taken to immortalize those who had passed, from Jim Morrison to Oscar Wilde to Baron Haussmann. While many of the old graves were cracked, their foundations teetering and their windows smashed, they still maintained their beauty and shed a little light on the lives of years gone by. I also found a stroll among the stones and monuments nearly as relaxing as a stroll through the Jardin de Luxembourg.

I particularly found Oscar Wilde's gravestone interesting. Despite being built in 1900, it had a modern shape that in no way fit in with the other gravestones of the cemetery. I was also surprised to find that his was one of the few that had to be blocked from the public, so that people would not kiss or write on the stone. I found it interesting, the struggle between praise for an artists' work and the preservation of a historical monument.

Until next time and au revoir. M