I proudly introduce my sister, Rachel Cabal, as a guest blogger. Mom and Dad would would pile us in the van and take off for 1-2 week vacations across the US. They officially gave us the travel bug. We have spent time traveling in Texas, Belize, and recently met up in Madrid. From Texas to Beyond is excited to bring you her unique perspectives as an incredibly talented care giver for the aging. Rachel is a Licensed Recreational Coordinator for skilled nursing units, specializing in geriatrics. Today Rachel is sharing her perspective on The Art of Paris.
Every day I get to go to work and encounter elders. I hear stories about spirituality, life’s work, family, loss and celebration, and TRAVEL. Reminiscing about travel is a favorite activity for our elders and they invite me to present my impressions of places they traveled years before. In my Paris presentation, I included Père Lachaise Cemetery.
You might imagine that a review of a cemetery wouldn’t be an interesting topic for folks in their later years, but I love to share that I understand death to be a part of life and that cemeteries are tangible celebrations of lives. Père Lachaise is a visual, physical, and spiritual experience not to be missed when visiting Paris.
Jim Morrison’s Grave
The 109 acre cemetery contains about 70,000 graves/memorials/pieces of art. The very best way to discover Père Lachaise Cemetery is to wander aimlessly through official and unofficial paths getting lost over and over again. You cannot help but see the much celebrated tombs of the famous. It’s why you came. But as you venture through the cemetery, you will be visually invited into places you think you shouldn’t tread. That’s where you will find the most beautiful art.
Thankfully, my husband and I wore tennis shoes because we discovered early on that all paths are made of cobblestone, gravel, or steep steps and it was a humid day with threats of rain. Maps of the cemetery are available at the Menilmontant entrance, but good luck deciding where to venture first.
Roses and Friendship Bracelets at Jim Morrison’s Grave
Being a lover of music, having a life-long (and strange) fascination with Jim Morrison, and being tourists, we headed toward Division 6 where you’ll find the most visited grave in the cemetery. The lead singer of The Doors is buried in an unimpressive grave, but you’ll find rose and poem strewn barriers which prevent the “Strange People” from getting too close. Theft often leaves the grave bare but that day we found it covered with photos, flowers, and friendship bracelets. Take time to read the poems and watch the other visitors.
I needed to visit the most famous singer of Paris, “The Little Sparrow,” Edith Piaf. When you ‘hear’ Paris, you hear Edith Piaf and her famous song La Vie en Rose. This woman followed the path of many other Parisian artists finding her craft in the streets of Paris’ Montmartre district. Go ahead…look her up now and listen.
Frederick Chopin’s Grave
Even though the name was highlighted on my list of famous people buried in Père Lachaise, I was astonished and overcome when approaching the grave of Polish composer, Frederick Chopin. His Prelude 20 in C Minor was clear in my head and the rain finally came.
When planning for travel, I’m the girl who reads the guides trying to learn what I should see and what I should skip considering a limited amount of time. On a scale of 1 to 5, most guides rate the Père Lachaise Cemetery a 2 or 3. I rate it a 5. Here is a piece of art waiting to be discovered by every traveler. The peaceful nature of Père Lachaise is intoxicating and invites you to stay…but not in a creepy way.
It is art. It is life. It is Paris!
An Inviting Monument
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