Just Stay at Home

Bonjour all! Oh how I've missed you! I have had a nutty kind of week & I am so happy to be back on the computer. It started with a spider (which has been "taken care of") and ended this morning with a trip to the vet for my sick little doggy (she's fine now). My computer has been sick as well but we are back in business! I can't believe I missed Halloween! It is one of my favorite holidays & I was planning on doing a post on the famous Pere Lachaise cemetery in Paris, so I'll do it now! Better late than never! :) So Spooky! I love the this cemetery, it is so beautiful and breathtaking! When I was there I wanted to stay for hours, I didn't want to miss anything! It is definitely not Forest Lawn!

These are notes left to Oscar Wilde on his grave

Pere Lachaise is the largest cemetery in the city of Paris at over 118 acres. It is one of the worlds most famous cemetery's and reputed to be the world's most visited. It is named after a confessor to Louis XIV, Pere Francois de la Chaise. It has been expanded many times and houses some remarkable people that have graced this earth over the last 200 years. Cemeteries had been banned inside Paris in 1786, on the grounds that it presented a health hazard. (This same health hazard also led to the creation of the famous catacombs in the south of the city.) Several new cemeteries replaced the Parisian ones, outside the precincts of the capital: Monmarte in the north, Père Lachaise in the east, and Montparnasse in the south. At the heart of the city, is Passy.
When it opened, the cemetery was considered to be too far from the city and attracted few funerals. So, the administrators devised a marketing strategy and with great fanfare organised the transfer of the remains of La Fontain and Moliere, in 1804. This strategy achieved its desired effect when people began clamouring to be buried among the famous citizens. Records show that, within a few years, Père Lachaise went from containing a few dozen permanent residents to more than 33,000. Today there are over 300,000 bodies buried there.

Some famous residents:

All images courtesy of Flickr

I will be back tomorrow...I promise! If you enjoy the Pere Lachaise cemetery I recommend La Recoleta Cemetery in Buenos Aires Argentina. I loved this one too! So beautiful (can that be said of a cemetery? I wonder). Hmmm, I'm wondering how much it would cost to be buried at Pere Lachaise!

Bisou Mon Amis!

Could this possibly be one of the world's most romantic spots? I think it may be! I dream of going back to Paris it's almost an ache that fills my dreams. I was watching the Henri de Toulouse~Lautrec movie (from the 60's, it made me cry) and a scene had this magnificent bridge in it. I couldn't help but to close my eyes and picture the last time I stood on that very bridge. It was a very cold day and I knew I was coming home to the States in less than a week so I tried to get a glimpse of as much as could.I tried to savor the memory, the taste, the feel, the sounds, & the smell of these incredible places and people I had been so lucky to be in the presence of for the last 3 years. Basically, I remember saying goodbye to Paris on this bridge :(

Paris is such a remarkable city with so much of it's emphasis on the river Seine. The river defines much of the city. It divides the city in half, the Right bank & the Left bank, distances are measured from it, street numbers determined by it, the quays are lined with striking apartments, monuments, & museums. The city relies heavily on this river. Of all of its' great uses, however, my personal favorite aspect would have to be the bridges. Asking me to pick my favorite bridge would be like asking a mother to pick her favorite child! I love them all! They all lead to someplace more magnificent & magical than the last, they all have some sort of story, they all serve a great purpose and many have been here for centuries.

I do, however, have a personal love affair with the Pont Alexandre III. I know, I know it's so Paris cliche, but I can't help it! It's magic! Absolutely breathtaking. It takes on different personalities throughout the day and with the change in seasons & weather. It is passionate, torrid, romantic, sexy, beautiful, sad, hopeful, luxurious, & all of the other emotions that its' pedestrians feel on it.
A bit of history on this romantical structure...

It is Art Nouveau in it's decoration of nymphs, cherubs, winged horsed, bountiful flowers, and torches. It was built between 1896 ~ 1900 just in time for the famed Universal Exhibition. It was built to celebrate the ratification of the Russian~French alliance and named after Tsar Alexandre III. His son lay the foundation cornerstone.

The bridge connects the Champs~Elysees quarter to Les Invalides quarter. The statues on the two support pillars on the Right bank symbolize medieval France & modern France while the statues on the Left bank represent Renaissance France & the country in the time of the Sun King. There are also symbols representing Russia, the Seine, & Neva.

Like I mentioned above, I saw this bridge in the Toulouse~Lautrec movie & I was thinking "What other movies have I seen this bridge in"? I think I have also seen it in Anastasia, & a Gene Kelly movie that I can't place right now could it have been An American in Paris? I'm not sure. What movies have you seen it in? I would love to hear! If you get a chance, visit this amazing bridge for me & share a kiss with your sweetie on it!

Goodbye all! & ...

Bisou Mon Amis!

All images from Flickr