It might seem morbid to some, but I’m always fascinated by cemeteries.  All those people, lives, stories, now reduced to a piece of granite or marble and, if you’re lucky, some flowers from those who remember.  The older cemeteries now have their own histories, and I find it strangely peaceful to wander amongst the headstones and try to imagine from someone’s epitaph what their life might have been like.  Were they young when they passed away?  Victims of war or sickness?  Or are they now part of a double grave, as united in death as they were in life?

Père Lachaise Cemetery is located in the 20th arrondissement in Paris and was the first garden cemetery of its kind.  It was established by Napoleon in 1804 as part of a programme of cemetery building around the city to deal with over-crowding – eurgh!  On a hillside gazing over the city, its wide boulevards, many paths and roadways now embrace over a million graves, with many famous artists, musicians, thinkers and writers within its walls.

My sister Zoe and I arrived early on Saturday morning and enjoyed the peace of the cemetery with few people around.  We didn’t have too many graves in mind to visit, instead choosing to explore the windy paths and soak up the atmosphere.  It was unexpected, but the green everywhere in the cemetery really struck me.  It wasn’t manicured like many of the gardens and parks in Paris, with nature instead in many places being able to take its own course.

The memorial to Abélard and Héloïse, star-crossed lovers if ever there were

One of the most famous graves in Père Lachaise is that of Jim Morrison, singer in The Doors.  His grave is tucked away but we were able to find it relatively easily with a bit of Google Maps and following our noses!

It’s now quite difficult to be buried in Pére Lachaise – you must have lived or died in Paris.  In addition, there’s now a waiting list.  However, many of the gravesites are not permanently owned as you can instead take out a 30-year lease, after which time your bones are moved and the site freed up for new ones!  Personally I find that idea pretty creepy…

Looking over the city

Sadly not all the graves are in perfect condition

For more information on visiting Père Lachaise Cemetery, click here

Another of my favourite cemeteries is Greyfriars Cemetery in Edinburgh.  Have you visited either of these?  Do you find cemeteries creepy or peaceful?

It seems to come around faster every week but I’m so excited for another Travel Tuesday!  This week I am featuring Marianne of Californienne and her beautiful photographs that she took over a weekend of exploring Marseille.  I had little idea about the city before I read her post, and was particularly fascinated to see how gorgeous so much of it is, and how much there was to do there.  Another one to add to the list – thanks Marianne!

Ready to link up? 

1. SHARE a post about travel! From road trips to trips abroad and from past travels to dream vacations. You can write about travel tips and tricks, favorite places to stay, or anything in between.

2. GRAB the lovely button above. If you run into trouble, just make sure to mention Bonnie, Amy, Camila and me in a link.

3. LINKUP goes live every Tuesday at 0800 GMT. Make sure to comment here, on the cohosts’ blogs, and visit around!

Tips:

1. Please only one linked up post per blogger. Save other posts for future linkups!

2. The last Tuesday of every month will be a themed prompt if you want to join in.  We will announce the theme during the week before.

3. HOP around and meet new travel-loving bloggers

It might be controversial, but to my mind you can’t beat the views of Paris that you get from the top of the Arc de Triomphe.  From Sacre Coeur to La Défense, the Louvre and of course, the Eiffel Tower, the panoramas are the best.  Sure, you might get higher if you’re up the Eiffel Tower… but then you can’t see it!  On Zoe’s last trip she hadn’t made it to the top, so we made a special point of visiting on our way to dinner on our second day, to soak up these gorgeous views.

The Arc de Triomphe is located at the western end of the Champs-Élysées, with a clear view down to the Louvre on one side and La Défense on the other.  It is in the middle of a crazy roundabout where twelve avenues meet, and under no circumstances should you try to cross the road to reach it!  There are subways on either side to allow you to visit without risking death on the way.

La Défense

The Louvre and the Champs-Élysées

The Arc de Triomphe was built for Emperor Napoleon to celebrate his victories, although it took over 30 years before it was completed in 1836.  Over the decades it has been a famous rallying point for victory marches, including by the Germans and then the Allies in World War II.

Almost identical to the shot I took on my last visit six years ago!

Inside the Arc there are exhibitions on the history and significance of the structure.  At road level, you can admire all of France’s victories inscribed on the inside, or contemplate the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier from World War I.  I was fascinated to learn that when it was lit on Armistice Day in 1920, this was the first eternal flame to be lit in Western and Eastern Europe since the Vestal Virgins’ fire went out in the fourth century.  Now found in many cities, these flames burn in memory of those who have died in war and never been identified.

Down the windy staircase!

Tomb of the Unknown Soldier

If you’re planning a visit to Paris, definitely make sure to take the trip to the Arc for the best views over Paris!  For more information, including visiting times and ticket prices, click here.

It’s that time again – Travel Tuesday!  Every week my wanderlust increases with all the amazing stories from all over the globe.  Last week my favourite post was Deepti’s post about the Itsukushima Shrine in Hiroshima, Japan.  I haven’t yet visited Japan and her stunning photos made me want to drop everything to get there immediately!  Got a fabulous travel story of your own?  Share it below!

Ready to link up? 

1. SHARE a post about travel! From road trips to trips abroad and from past travels to dream vacations. You can write about travel tips and tricks, favorite places to stay, or anything in between.

2. GRAB the lovely button above. If you run into trouble, just make sure to mention Bonnie, Amy, Camila and me in a link.

3. LINKUP goes live every Tuesday at 0800 GMT. Make sure to comment here, on the cohosts’ blogs, and visit around!

Tips:

1. Please only one linked up post per blogger. Save other posts for future linkups!

2. The last Tuesday of every month will be a themed prompt if you want to join in.  We will announce the theme during the week before.

3. HOP around and meet new travel-loving bloggers!

Macarons, Arc de Triomphe, bateaux mouche, Versailles… this might not be your standard ‘must-do in Paris’ itinerary, but Zoe and I ticked a lot of the best boxes during our time in Paris!  While we shunned a few of the top attractions (it was July after all, time of the tourist crush), we had a great time checking out many of the other fabulous things that Paris has to offer.  I’ll be putting up individual posts on a few of my favourite spots (and of course my favourite spots to eat), but here’s a look what we got up to during our Parisian escape.

After the Eurostar whisked us across the Channel, we dumped our bags at our Air BnB apartment and headed out to explore.  We’d both visited Paris before, so our aim for the four days was to see some of our favourite sights again, seek out a few that we’d missed previously, and of course sample lots of yummy food and drink.  It might have been a bit grey and rainy, but that didn’t stop us loving this incredible city.

Gorgeous bistro Chez Janou

Our first day was all about getting our bearings again in Paris.  We stayed in Bastille in the eleventh arrondissement, which was very handy to the metro stops at Bastille and Gare de Lyon, as well as a lot of bus routes – and not bad for walking either!  As two girls walking around, we never felt unsafe – I definitely recommend the area as a cheaper alternative.

Hôtel de Ville

Bateau mouche on the River Seine

The line may look horrific at Notre Dame, but it did move surprisingly fast!

First up on day two was the Musée d’Orsay – located in a beautiful former railway station, it houses the largest collection of Impressionist and Post-Impressionist works in the world.  It is such a privilege to be able to wander and admire works by Van Gogh, Gaugin, Monet, Degas and so many more.  I also appreciated the building itself – it is stunning!  If you get a chance on a fine day, pop up to the top terrace for views over the river and towards the Louvre.

 

Musée d’Orsay

The incredible roof of Galleries Lafayette

Beautiful Printemps

Galleries Lafayette and Printemps are two stunning department stores on Boulevard Haussman.  I say stunning not only for their gorgeous building design, but also their size – put together there are over 40 floors in six buildings!  We only dipped our toes in, but still managed to grab a couple of bargains in the July sales, so walked away happy.  I couldn’t resist sampling a Ladurée macaron in Printemps either!

Matched to my nail polish AND jumper, of course…

I love the Arc de Triomphe, from the craziness of its roundabout where twelve roads meet, to the stunning views over Paris.  Sure, you can get higher up at the Eiffel Tower, but you won’t have a view of it when you’re up there!  Plus the Arc is not nearly so crowded, and gives gorgeous panoramas down the Champs Élysées.  Click here for the full post!

Another of my favourite Paris viewpoints is even free, and it also features one of my favourite churches – Sacre Coeur.

The next day was ear-marked for two sights I had long wanted to see – Père Lachaise Cemetery, and the gardens of Versailles.  I had never made it up the hill to the cemetery, and my last visit to Versailles had been a very speedy trip through the palace and a quick look at the park – this time we were going to do it properly!

Père Lachaise is the largest cemetery in Paris, and was established in 1804.  It covers more than 104 hectares and has thousands upon thousands of graves and memorials, to everyone from Héloïse and Abelard to Jim Morrison.  It was incredible to wander through – not only was it much greener than I expected, but the styles of monuments varied hugely, from simple headstones to elaborate mini-chapels.  It also had some great views!

We headed to Versailles via a bateau mouche ride – the river boats were not only one of the easiest ways for us to get from our apartment to the train to Versailles, but it was also very scenic.  The Batobus boats are a great option as they are hop-on, hop-off so you can visit heaps of great sites along the river.

We visited Versailles in the afternoon – while it meant that we had to be pretty time-conscious, the lines were not nearly so bad as they are in the morning, so if you’re not prepared to get yourself out there at the crack of dawn it can be a good option.

To aid our speediness, Zoe and I hired bikes, which is easy to do at the bottom of the Grand Canal, or at several entrances to Versailles.  We had an awesome time whizzing around, and they came with locks so we didn’t have to worry if we wanted to have a look inside the Petit Trianon or stop for ice-cream!

Action shot!

Part of Marie Antoinette’s Petit Trianon, her little “English” farm

Gorgeous sunset views of Notre Dame on the bateau mouche home

Our last morning was devoted to the incredible Centre Pompidou.  This modern art centre has a controversial design, with all the piping on the outside, including its escalators.  I love it!  Inside we were overwhelmed by the huge range of artists and styles – you could spend days there soaking it all in.  As always, I also appreciated the beautiful rainy views from the top.

Have you been to Paris?  What is on your personal must-do list?

Check back soon for more posts on the Arc de Triomphe, Versailles, Pere Lachaise and all the delicious food we sampled!