City of Dead and the Great Pyramid
On the chilly grey February day of the seventeenth, Fran and I took a turn to a macabre spot. We visited Pierre Lachez, the famous cemetery. Unlike any other cemetery you’ve ever imagined or seen, this place is about the size of Auckland. Not actually, but it’s a city in itself, it has roads and pathways, steps and hills. Lining the roads are monuments like no other I had ever seen; small houses, shrines for those who have passed away. Each was a small room with a room and a doorway, and sometimes windows, gates or statues. Each one was different, some noticeably older than others, some decrepit and broken. It was such a peaceful place, surprisingly so. I thought it would be unnerving or creepy, and the photos I took do look that way, but it wasn’t at all. It felt like a better place to be than the busy streets of Paris which it was removed from. Sprays of snow lined pavements and shadowed the skeletal trees.
There were many famous names in this place, most of which I didn’t know. Some I did recognize included Delacroix and David the famous French painters, although I didn’t manage to find their resting places. We did, however, find James Morrison; hearing it before we saw it as there were a group of stylish youths smoking and chatting. His grave was littered with cigarettes, thrown there as a token to his life like travesties of roses. Along with the cigarettes were many flowers in bright colours that seemed garish among the grey of everything else. We wondered on, not even seeing half of it as it was so huge. Before we left we saw the grave of Oscar Wilde, which if you’ve ever watched ‘Paris Je T’aime’, you will know is easily recognizable. A large monument with a modern, futuristic angel sculpted into it. The stone is covered in kisses. Pink and red lipstick and the waxy oily residue of lipstick that has since been washed away by the rain shows hundreds of people’s tribute to him. Some have written with the lipstick too, some drew the lips instead of actually kissing the stone. Roses lay at the foot of the statue. To be honest I haven’t read much if any of Oscar Wilde’s work, but reading some of other people’s comments has made me want to.
Later on that day we stumbled across another small arcade. This one had a shining golden shop which caught our eye. The shop was entirely devoted to selling paper decorations. There were lots of beautiful paper flowers, which looked real dried flowers! They were all so delicate. As well as the flowers there were butterflies and plants, and the thing which caught my eye first, goldfish! They were selling little paper goldfish on sticks… it was so strange but they were gorgeous too. That arcade was another of those places where you step into another world when you enter it. There was a bookshop where second-hand books were stacked on tables outside, enticing you to pick one up and get involved in the story. I would have, but they were mostly in French. Saved by ignorance!
As the day grew dark we walked through the Tuillerie gardens to the Louvre which had begun to glow like a giant glass paperweight. A dream come true! I was in heaven wondering gallery after gallery of incredible work! The building itself was breath taking; many of the rooms were decorated richly from floor to ceiling, never mind the works of art. I greedily feasted my eyes on all the works I love best, returning to them time and time again as I inexpertly navigated myself around the shut off portion of the building. I did not manage to see it all, there was simply too much, but I saw enough to fill me with inspiration and a desire to find some paints as soon as possible to start on the long journey to attain a fraction of the skill of some of the painters whose work I saw.
I felt a bit silly though, because I only saw a few works of Raphael and da Vinci, and when I eventually found Fran again I said this aloud, and she said they were probably in Italy. Of course! How stupid of me! I hope at some point on this trip I will be able to see some of their other works, that would satisfy me…for a while at least.
I would add a photo at this point, but last time it took aaaaaggesss! So yo can just look on my facebook, they’re all up there 
Lots of love
Tiafish xoxo
