Tag: Paris

Tout Est Bien Qui Finit Bien

We have been home for a week now and as in past blogs, I planned one last entry after our return. Kim and I were very jet lagged upon getting home and were not surprised when we both became ill, this has happened before. Out of caution, we decided to test for Covid and … oops a positive test for both. So we wrapped the trip with days of isolation which with jet lag was not that hard to do. We did check while away when Kim developed a cold but that came up negative. So an interesting way to end a trip.

Enough on that. We spent the last few days before returning enjoying our neighborhood and had great meals at Le Grand Colbert and Aux Crus de Bourgogne both of which we recommend. I did get a chance to fold in one more new place, Tour Maine-Montparnasse. For years it was the tallest building in France and when completed its appearance was so criticized that a ban on buildings over 7 stories in the city center resulted. It also has an observatory deck with fantastic views of Paris enhanced by, according to some, the fact the tower itself is not visible. Rough!

We were very sad to leave, the sign of a great trip.  We have many other travel ideas in our back pocket but we can see more trips like this in the future no matter where else we go.

Pictures from the final days are below. This trip was planned with the help of Deb Siegle who was very patient with us as we planned and debated. Much appreciated Deb! For the apartment, Deb used HVN  which has a nice selection of rentals available around the world. We had another apartment arranged with HVN and when they received some bad feedback on it they proactively offered us another, larger apartment at no additional cost. Very nice!

Ok, after 3 years I get to declare another blog wrapped!

Porte Saint-Denis Porte Saint-Denis
Flocking friends Flocking friends at Porte Saint-Denis.
Palais Garnier Palais Garnier, home of the Paris Opera.
Palais-Royal Nocturnal wanderings around the Palais-Royal.
Paris view Paris view from Tour Maine-Montparnasse.
The Louvre The Louvre from Tour Maine-Montparnasse.
The Louvre A wider view of The Louvre with Jardin des Tuileries to the left.
Hôtel des Invalides Hôtel des Invalides with the Arc de Triomphe de l’Étoile to the upper left.
Le Jardin du Luxembourg Le Jardin du Luxembourg from Tour Maine-Montparnasse.
Cimetière du Montparnasse Cimetière du Montparnasse from Tour Maine-Montparnasse.
Tour Maine-Montparnasse Tour Maine-Montparnasse. Yeah… I get the criticism.
Grand Bassin Rond Afternoon relaxation at the Grand Bassin Rond. The Musée d’Orsay is visible to the upper right.
Flying home Flying home past a favorite place.
Coast of Iceland Coast of Iceland
Volcanic crater in Iceland. Volcanic crater in Iceland.

L’Empire de la Mort

One of the places I have wanted to visit for quite a while is the Catacombes of Paris, it has always intrigued me. Determined to visit I found Kim not as enthusiastic as I so with her permission I was off for a tour during our usual afternoon walking time.

The catacombs have limited access and a timed entry so I made sure to give myself extra time in case things went off the rails. Luckily the journey from our apartment was smooth and with some extra time on my hands, I decided to stroll thru Cimetière du Montparnasse, the second largest cemetery in Paris. I have visited the more famous Cimetière du Père-Lachaise several times and welcomed the opportunity to stop by Montparnasse. There are famous people currently residing here including Jean-Paul Sartre and Simone de Beauvoir,  Jacques Chirac, Urbain Le Verrier, Susan Sontag, and Alfred Dreyfus. Quite a variety from arts, sciences, and politics.

The Catacombes of Paris have quite an interesting history, they started off as quarries far from the city supplying the limestone for Paris buildings. As the quarries were depleted they were abandoned and forgotten. When the city grew to cover these previously mined places building collapses caused by cave-ins became frequent and inspection Générale des Carrières (Inspection of Mines) service was created to investigate and solve this issue.

Around the same time, the number of bodies buried in Paris was becoming a concern, there were so many bodies the cemeteries were collapsing into the buildings next to them, and health and food contamination were a constant issue. It was decided to move bodies from the cemeteries to the quarries. The tunnels were consecrated and the bodies were moved in solemn nightly services. At first, the bodies were set in a more haphazard fashion, later it was decided to organize them in a more pleasing fashion making this mausoleum a more pleasant place to visit. As it became more well-known the demand grew and the city started opening them to daily visits. The number of visitors is limited to 200 at a time. It is not an easy place to go you are required to navigate two spiral staircases (131 steps down, 112 steps up), the ceiling is short and the passages are long, sometimes dark, and always damp. Over 6 million bodies are down there, for me it was a great visit and I recommend it for the brave.

Inside Cimetière du Montparnasse
Grave of Jean-Paul Sartre & Simone de Beauvoir.
Grave of Jacques Chirac
Grave of Susan Sontag
Grave of Jean Seberg
Inside Cimetière du Montparnasse
Inside Cimetière du Montparnasse
Grave of Urbain Le Verrier who. predicted the existence and position of Neptune using only mathematics.
Grave of Alfred Dreyfus
Start of the 131 steps down.
Passage to the Catacombs
Passage to the Catacombs Passage to the Catacombs
Entrance to the Catacombs
Entrance to the Catacombs Entrance to the Catacombs
This group greets you as you enter.
Not all was organized
Better stacking
An interesting pattern.
Some of the bodies had markers for where they came from.
Halls of bones

Pillar of bones

Just before you ascend out of the catacombs there is a tunnel looking up and I thought “A view to heaven.” Turns out the other end is in a gift shop… So it that part of the meaning of life? At the other end is a gift shop.