Day Seven on Vacation -- Church and Pere Lachaise Cemetery

We started out this day at church -- and as it was Social Media Sunday I did snap a picture or two in church and post it on Facebook. Steve pointed out that there was a message in the bulletin asking people not to take pictures. Uh oh! The dean preached a brilliant sermon -- great energy and wonderful turnout. There was also a very well presented Stewardship witness done by a member of the vestry.

Steve and I left after communion to head to an area farther away -- right by the cemetery. We wanted to grab a bit of lunch beforehand. We tried out hand at cheeseburgers Paris style. Wow! The family sitting on one side of us who didn't speak English kept on smiling and laughing. This was a packed restaurant and it seemed to be packed with locals! Except for the table on the other side of us -- a family visiting from Belgium. The man spoke English, and his daughter is learning. He was very kind.

We met us again with our good friend Maddie as well as our new friend Judy from the Cathedral. Then came Karen -- our favorite tour guide. Site Seekers Delights -- remember that tour company name when you are in Paris -- her tours are not to be missed! Once again, she didn't disappoint. She told stories, jokes -- the weather was beautiful, and the day was perfect.

Here are some of the photos of some of the famous people buried there -- no need for commentary from me. Some of the other photos I will comment on because I took them for a reason.

...and we are off!

I liked the "tombs" -- many, many people can be put in there. Some of these have words on them indicating that they are in perpetuity. Others are on 30 year leases -- if they don't pay, they get pulled out, cremated and put in a different area. Yes, really.

A tomb of a painter.

Punk rock star.

These are all those buried in one tomb.

Chopin!

Edit Piaf

The lipstick kisses on Oscar Wilde's grave.

Valdemort! (not really, but he certainly looks like it -- and this is the way this was made. As we found Nicolas Flamell the other day, I'm wondering if the Harry Potter author paid a visit to Paris! Here is Karen pointing out the details.

Marcel Marceau

Beautiful day!

This is a young man who died -- and you can see the areas on him that are shiny -- it is believe if a woman wants to get pregnant there is, ahem, a ritual she can perform on him to make her pregnant. Yep. Can't make it up.

The owls were to ward off bad things.

These next two pictures are wonderful -- it is the grave (the bottom is more detail of the bottom of the grave). This is the man who sad the potato wasn't just ornamental and had the French start using it. So you can see that people (Chefs paying homage to him) still leave potatoes on his grave -- you can see them lined up on the top. 

Jim Morrison

Gertrude Stein:

and on the other side of Gertrude, Alice B Toklas -- of course!

The crematorium.

Kind of creepy.

The only orange statue.

Here is Steve goofing around -- this tomb was opened this way 

We went to dinner at a wonderful restaurant by the Cathedral and we got to meet Maddie's boyfriend!