Père Lachaise

School was a blur yesterday morning.  I had one of those days where I couldn't comprehend anything and every word good ol' Marjorie said just went in one ear and out the other.  But I was present physically....isn't that a good part of what really matters!? 

Met Isabel, Laura, and Emily at Père Lachaise Cemetery for the afternoon.  Or "the grandest address in Paris" as it is known by some.  When we got off the metro there was a sign for maps of the cemetery.  2,50 euros.  For a map of a cemetery?  I think not.  We can figure it out, right?  ha!  Wrong.  It is SO huge (118 acres) and everywhere you turn basically looks the same so we found a map on a sign inside and took a picture of it with our cameras.  Genius! 

The inside of some of the tombs were incredibly beautiful and creepy.  And when I say creepy its just eerie being amongst all of the graves and people who have passed.  Especially on a dreary winter day with not a lot of tourists visiting.  

Of course the can't miss grave:  Jim Morrison.  Because of all the vandalism it is now secured by a fence and a security guard during peak hours.  There was a guy and his girlfriend sitting under a tree about 10 feet from here drinking whiskey and singing "Light My Fire."  That's dedication.  

Oscar Wilde.  Thought this was a very strange choice of monument for him.  

It certainly was a quiet place.  A place of solitude and thought.  A place of wandering and remembering. And somewhere I'm not sure I would want to go alone.  Even though I lived just beside a cemetery most of my childhood....played hide-and-seek there and learned to ride a bike there, I still can't help but be wary of such a place at night.  We all dispersed to pick up the kiddo's and Laura and I grabbed a coffee on the way.  She works fairly close to where I am, so its quite convenient for us to do things together during the day which I'm enjoying!  

Marie-Césare and I had a good day! We went to the park and came home, colored, and practiced writing her "petite lettres" for the alphabet.  

Tomorrow I am planning to go to Saint Ouen markets with Kerry and Ashleigh.  It is supposedly the largest flea market in Paris, and is located in the suburbs just north of the 18th arrondissement.  Am happy to go wander around somewhere new even though its going to be cold!  Have been researching some places to go over February holidays.  Will probably stick to France for my first voyage out, maybe Strasbourg or Burgundy.  Am planning my trip to see Katrine in July and to see my Bulgarian friends/Greece in April depending on when my mom and Pat decide to come.  Woo hoo!