Pleadings from Paris

For those who are counting, this post is about my third trip to Paris within a year's time!  It's not that I'm in love with Paris, but that I love those who are living there - namely, Stephanie, Ben, Emma, Paige, Bennett and Tanner.  And, although I have enjoyed visiting France on four different trips (the first was with Bob back in November 2004), it was my daughter's pleadings to come and babysit their four children so that she and Ben could go on their postponed trip to Morocco which beckoned me there on April 9, 2019.  You've got to agree that these cuties were a pretty powerful enticement!

The Morocco trip was planned for April 14-18, so after a day of recovery from jet lag, Stephanie and I headed out to see the city.  The oldest three were in school and a babysitter arranged for Tanner, as we headed toward the train which would take us to the Paris Catacombs.  But first, we had time to wander through the nearby  Montparnasse Cemetery.  We had a good laugh trying to figure out the meaning behind the big fish, the carved turkey tree trunk, and the offerings of potatoes and other figurines upon some of the graves!

Some were richly religious in nature.

Others were quite touching.

 But this was Paris, and most were very artistic!

It was a beautiful cemetery, but I still prefer the simple beauty of the Korean burial mounds I grew to adore in Asia!

The Paris Catacombs were an appropriate place to visit next.  There we beheld the remains of over 6 million people artistically arranged in the abandoned underground stone quarries from which much of Paris was built.  In the late eighteenth century, major public health problems tied to the city’s cemeteries led to a decision to transfer their contents to an underground site.

Leaving the catacombs, Stephanie and I rushed toward Notre Dame Cathedral where we had a reservation to climb it's towers.  Unfortunately, we missed our reservation by 2 minutes!  (But it was a beautiful day and we took lots of nice photos of the historic building - which I will share as part of my next post.)  We walked around the city, finding souvenirs, grabbing lunch to go from a cafe, sampling treats and taking in the sights. Need I say that Paris has the most scrumptious pastries?!  

We found a nice church courtyard and rested our legs.  Come to find out, we were at the medieval Église de Saint-Germain-des-Prés, Paris's oldest church, so we decided to take a peek inside.  What a hidden gem!  This cathedral was in the process of being restored and painted beautiful vibrant colors, infusing the old building with a glorious sense of life.   

  

 School was soon to end, so we turned toward home, enjoying a beautiful afternoon walk in "la Ville Lumière" - the city of lights!