Montparnasse

Sunday. Today I walked...and walked and walked! I got up early and took the 92 bus to Montparnasse and went to the cemetary there. It was quite phenomenal, to say the least. The size alone was incredible, I'm not sure exactly how big it was, but I wandered for close to 3 hours and didn't even begin to see it all.

I was there as the gates opened, so I pretty much had the place to myself. I could see one or two other people in the distance, tending to the graves of their loved ones. As in Montmartre Cemetary, this is set up like a small town, with streets and street signs, main "roads" and tiny "alleys". On the street corners there are water taps and small watering cans so you can tend to the plants and flowers of the graves.

The graves themselves are very close together and you actually have to step on some in order to get to others. I didn't quite feel comfortable doing so (so I refrained), but it's obviously quite alright if you do...in some cases there is no other way to reach (and care for) your plot.

It was a sunny day and the birds were chirping. The walls of the graveyard muffled the sounds of the city, so it was very peaceful, and I do like graveyards. *sidebar* When we lived in Moose Jaw, there was a large, and old graveyard behind our house, my bedroom looked out at it, and I rather enjoyed the peacefulness of it. I'd often wander through it, especially during my angst filled teen years!

This place, however, was filled with the most amazing tombstones I have ever seen, from the most modern things you can imagine (the mirror laden giant bird-creature) to the ones that looked like tiny castles, complete with stained glass windows. The giant ceramic cat that belongs to Ricardo was one of my favorites. I don't imagine that in his wildest dreams, did Ricardo ever think that pictures of his tombstone would be viewed and talked about on the Internet. I guess that's one way of being remembered. Although I imagine some of the "owners" of the older ones would be even more amazed...some of them lived in times when there was no such thing as radio, never mind computers.